Tangled Bonds of Youth
by LazyBee
Summary: Bonds of family, of friends, of love. What makes and breaks them? Would you sacrifice one for the sake of another? What do you do when they get all tangled up? Main pairing: MikuxKaito. And a few others.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I hereby disclaim the ownership of everything and anything throughout this story.

**Author's Note: **Ohhey, a new story from me :D This time, it's a high school story, taking place on an imaginary island in Japan (or at least, I think the name I picked doesn't exist... if it does, then it's not based on the real island). I'll try my best to accurately write the Japanese things in the story, but I only have Google and my experiences from watching anime to rely on xD So, I apologize in advance for any incorrect information, and feel free to PM me to correct it. Also, I'll be using the honorifics, so if you're not familiar with them, go Google it :3

A little warning in advance: updates will take anywhere from one week to one month. I will finish it for sure, but not at a very fast pace; I'm going to live up to my name as Lazy ;D

A gigantic thank you goes to _Sakagami Hina_, my amazing proofreader, for checking the chapters for me :D

* * *

The rising sun bathed Otoshima in radiance, its bright rays peering over the peaks of the mountain range that bordered the crescent-shaped island along the east coastline. The leafy treetops of the scarce forest that separated the town from the mountains glimmered in green. The sparkling blue water of the Pacific Ocean gently caressed the sandy beach on the west. A refreshing breeze scattered the petals of the blooming sakura trees that dotted the town.

It was a Monday morning, April 1st, the day of the Opening Ceremony at Kaion Academy. The private institute accommodated students of all three stages: elementary, middle and high school, all of which were in separate buildings. It was most renowned for its music program, inviting talented students from all over Japan to study there with a scholarship. That is not to say that the other departments were neglected: they simply didn't go by scholarship, but boasted of excellent results nonetheless. The students contributed to about half the population of the village; some of them were natives to the island while others moved there because of the Academy. They had the choice of living in the dormitory for free or in a house at their own expenses.

Though the sun had already woken up, the same couldn't be said about all the inhabitants of the Academy's dormitory. Especially about the occupants of room 214, where the only noise to be heard was their steady breathing as they were still in deep sleep. Until the second when the red numbers on the black digital alarm clock sitting on the small, wooden table between the two beds switched from 6:59 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. At that point, it began emitting an incredibly irritating beeping sound which would've raised even the dead from their grave.

The room itself was far from dead, though. It was furnished for two people, their slightly differing tastes coming together to create a cozy ambiance. It was a medium-sized space, roughly in the shape of a square, but not squished enough to be called rectangular. The door was in the bottom left corner and the door to the small balcony was right across from it, the rays of the waking sun barely penetrating the thick, dark blue curtains covering the wall-length window. In the path between the doors were two desks, both of them moderately cluttered, excluding the immediate proximity of the two laptops. Between the desks was a tall wooden shelf unit, serving as a storage place for their various belongings. The walls were plain white, but it could barely be seen from the various posters and pictures adorning it. A notice board was placed on the wall above the desks, a couple of notes stuck to it. Conversely, the wooden floor was kept tidy, with a large circular, fluffy cream-colored rug in the middle of it. In the bottom right corner was a huge, shared wardrobe to accommodate all their clothing. To the left was a full-length oval mirror; to the right was the door of the small bathroom connected to the room. Past it were the two beds.

"Rin-chan, turn it offfff..." mumbled the person curled up underneath the blanket on the left side bed.

"You do it, Miku-chan, you're closer..." protested the figure on the right side bed, trying to block out the noise by putting a pillow over her head.

"The table is exactly in the middle. Always was, still is, always will be," Miku sharply retorted. Despite the comment, she slowly extended her arm from underneath the blanket and slammed her hand down on the black plastic contraption she hated with a passion. The beeping stopped and was replaced with a bouncy song playing from the radio function.

The two girls, Hatsune Miku and Kagamine Rin, had been sharing a room for three years now, following the same morning routine the entire time. They were both a part of the music program, Miku about to start her third year of high school and Rin her first.

As much as Miku disliked waking up in the mornings, she wasn't too fond of being late, either; much less on the first day of the new school year. Taking a deep breath in order to gather her willpower, she grabbed hold of the blanket and tossed it aside. She sat up, letting out a huge yawn in the process. Seeing the motionless Rin, a mischievous thought crossed her mind and a sly smirk appeared on her lips. She stood up and quickly strode over to her friend's bed.

"Rise and shine, Rin-chan!" Miku announced as she swiftly pulled off the blanket and dragged the girl along with it. She landed on the wooden floor, intensely glaring at her roommate.

"That was so not necessary," Rin began to complain, pouting. "I was just about to get out of bed on my own."

"Because you have such a well-established habit of doing that," Miku remarked in a teasing tone, placing her arms on her hips.

"Shut up," Rin replied curtly, getting to her feet. "Like you're any better."

"Who was it that turned off the alarm in the end?" she reminded her. Mentioning it, Miku instinctively glanced at the clock: it was 7:20 already and they had to be at school by 8, which was a fifteen-minute walk from the dormitory. Classes only started at 8:15, but the main gate closed at 8, hence the need to arrive on time. "Uhhh, oops, we'd better hurry up."

With that, their friendly bickering came to an end as they both began to get ready. Rin was the first to dash into bathroom, quickly grabbing her uniform from the wardrobe on her way in.

Miku scurried over to it and took hers out as well. The girls' uniform at Kaion Academy consisted of a pleated, above-the-knee dark grey skirt; a short-sleeved, collared, white blouse; white knee socks and a tie that had the school's crest on it. To differentiate between the years, the hemline of the skirt, the edges of the blouse and the tie had varying colors: orange for first years, scarlet for second years and teal for third years.

She changed out of her light blue, spring onion-print pyjamas and into her uniform. Grabbing a hairbrush, she began tugging at her long, teal hair. After years and years of practice, she expertly styled them into two ponytails, putting a black-red hair accessory at the top of each. She stepped in front of the mirror, combing her bangs into place, humming to the tune of the song playing from the radio. Her aquamarine eyes carefully examined her appearance to make sure that she looked perfect. She was far from being a vain person; nevertheless, it's only natural for a girl to pay a little extra attention to her demeanour on the first day of school.

By the time she felt satisfied with the figure reflected in the mirror, Rin stepped out of the bathroom. She was fully dressed, the signature white bow in her short, golden blonde hair and white bobby pins keeping her bangs fixed.

"Your turn," the girl said cheerily, tossing her orange-print pyjamas onto her bed. The initial reluctance of waking up had dispersed, to be replaced with the anticipation of starting her high school years, her bright blue eyes basically shining. Miku nodded in reply and went inside to brush her teeth.

In a matter of minutes, both girls were at the door, putting on their basketball shoes. They had to wear indoor shoes at school anyway, so their choice of regular footwear wasn't of importance. Miku took another look at the clock as she turned off the radio: it read 7:40 am. _Just on time,_ she noted to herself.

Schoolbags in hand, they left their room and Miku closed the door behind them, locking it. Crime rates weren't high in the area, but they had a philosophy of 'better safe than sorry'. They hastily made their way out of the building, practically flying across the hallway and down the spiralling staircase to reach the main entrance.

The dormitory itself had three floors and was in the shape of an 'H': the boys were in the left wing and the girls were on the right, with the middle serving as a common area. There was a kitchen and an eating area on the ground floor of both sides of the building, so as to limit the meal-time commotion. It was mostly used by the students who remained in the dormitory during the school breaks, since the actual cafeteria functioned on the Academy's grounds.

At the entrance, someone was waiting for them: a boy with short blond hair pulled into a messy ponytail was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, impatiently tapping with his foot. He wore the male school uniform: dark grey pants, a white shirt and an orange tie bearing the school's crest.

"About time," he remarked with a scowl and his head slightly tilted to the left as he noticed the two girls approaching. "What took you so long? There isn't even the dilemma of picking an outfit!"

"Good morning to you, too, Len-nii," Rin greeted him with a sugary smile, as a mocking reply to his displeased expression. They were twins, but Len insisted that his sister keep in mind which one of them has two whole minutes more of life experience.

"Mornin', Len-kun," Miku added. "Sorry, waking up just isn't our thing. And at this rate, never will be. Since when are you so eager about getting to school on time, anyway?"

"Since it's high school now..." he mumbled, almost incomprehensibly. "Whatever, let's get going," he announced, straightening himself up.

The trio trotted along the cobblestone path leading down to the paved road; the dormitory was on a slight slope, at the edge of the town. As such, there were no houses between it and the Academy on one side of the road; just a large, grassy field instead, the dewdrops glinting in the morning light.

* * *

Miku, Rin and Len arrived at the ornate metal gates of the school merely minutes before 8 am. Several groups of students idled around in the yard, chatting amongst themselves.

"Barely... safe..." Rin observed, panting, as soon as they were within the safety of the school grounds. They made a dash for it at the last hundred meters or so.

"Remind me... to set the alarm... earlier," Miku noted, gasping for air.

"And remind me... why I wait for you two... every morning?" Len commented, just as breathless as the other two. More often than not, this little jog was a part of their routine.

"Because you're just that awesome, Onii-sama~," his sister responded once she could talk normally again, paired with a wide grin. Like anyone could stay irritated upon seeing such a cute expression. For some reason, a pink tinge lingered on Len's cheeks, even though he was back to breathing regularly.

"Don't you ever forget it," he said, gently ruffling her hair, which she quickly rearranged into place afterwards.

Miku couldn't help but smile at the sweet scene unfolding before her eyes. It was a shame she had to interrupt them. _If only these carefree days would last forever..._

"Rin-chan, Len-kun, we should go check out the class placements for the year," she suggested to them. They nodded their heads in agreement and the three of them walked over to the large message boards that stood near the gates.

Kaion Academy believed in creating a strong community. For that reason, those with scholarships and those without were put into mixed classes, which were reassigned at the beginning of each year, in order to establish an all-around friendly environment for the students and allow them to come in contact with more people.

They stopped in front of the third message board, the one that had the placements for the high school students. They scanned along the lists, searching for their names.

"Oh hell no," Len stated all of a sudden, his eyes widening. "They dared split us up and put us in different classes." Instinctively, he tightly gripped onto Rin's hand. The wide grin on her face from a minute ago was but a distant memory, replaced with an intense frown.

Against all odds, the twins had remained in the same class during their middle school years. Never in their darkest nightmares would they have thought that they could get separated. It was like chocolate without sugar: simply impossible to imagine.

"Aaaawww, I'm so sorry, but I'm sure it'll be alright," Miku attempted to comfort her friends. She stepped behind them, putting her hands on their shoulders. "You just won't be sitting in the same classroom anymore, that's all. Nothing else will change."

Simultaneously, Rin and Len turned their gazes away from the board and looked each other in the eye.

"Yeah, it'll be fine," Rin acquiesced to Miku's words, trying to smile reassuringly, but failing miserably at it. "It's not so easy to trouble the Kagamines!"

Hearing the determination in her voice, a weak chuckle escaped from Len's lips. "Yeah, we can handle this."

"That's the spirit!" Miku added enthusiastically, patting their shoulders. "Now, let me show you the way to the high school building."

The tealette took another glance at the board, to make sure she had the right classes: 1-A for Rin, 1-B for Len and 3-C for herself. She had no reason to be bothered by her class placement; by now, she knew everyone in her year by name at least and was on friendly terms with most of them. She didn't have a particularly close friend in her own year: having Rin and Len was plenty enough.

The three of them hurried across the campus. At Kaion Academy, the elementary, middle and high school section each had its own building and facilities, like club rooms, sports fields and a gymnasium. There were also shared buildings, like the library, the cafeteria and the main auditorium.

The school buildings each had three floors. On the ground floor were the lockers for their indoor shoes, the teacher's office and a couple of storage rooms. The second floor had the regular classrooms. The third floor was reserved for the special classrooms: the science labs, the computer lab, the home economics lab and so on.

They walked through the open glass doors of the high school building. The lockers were arranged in columns according to class, so at that point they had to split up. The school took care of transferring their shoes during the break, so they simply had to find the compartment with their name on it. Their indoor shoes were a cross between sandals and slippers. They had a thin, rubber sole; the upper part was made out of a durable fabric and had an elastic strap. It was white, with a coloured stripe, according to their year, near the toe. Shoes changed, they met up again and Miku guided them upstairs.

"Here we are: 1-A and 1-B right beside it," she declared, stopping in front of the classroom's door. "And mine will be at the end of the hallway."

"Thanks, Miku-chan," the twins said at the same time.

"Ganbatte, Rin-chan, Len-kun," she encouraged them. "We'll meet up for lunch at the usual spot."

They both gave a quick nod. Rin turned towards the door. She took a deep breath and straightened her tie; after a second of hesitation, she firmly gripped the doorknob and opened the door. Head held high, she stepped inside and carefully closed it behind her. Only then did Miku and Len walk over to the next door. A feeling of déjà vu came over the tealette as she watched him repeat the exact same movements. _It's almost scary just how perfectly synched they are._

She walked to her own classroom at a quickened pace; it was probably only a matter of minutes before the teacher arrived. She casually threw the door open and went inside without a trace of uncertainty. To her, it was honestly no different from a regular day, to walk into her classroom; for a moment, it even slipped her mind that today was the first day. She was sure that familiar faces would be present on the other side of the door.

* * *

The interior of the classroom held nothing new. Sunshine flooded through the large, glass windows; the apple green curtains pulled to the side. Wooden pegs on which to keep their coats lined the back wall, with a row of wooden compartments below it to store their P.E. equipment in. Several posters were put up to serve as decoration. The blackboard was at the far end of the room, a clock diligently ticking away above it, with a podium in front of it and the teacher's desk off to the side. Five neat columns of desks, six in each, sat in the middle.

However, the students themselves were not in a "neat" arrangement. Most of them flocked around the last desk of the last column: also known as the best seat, since it was the farthest away from the teacher's desk and right beside the window. Miku opened her mouth to greet them and closed it right back as she noticed the abnormality, coming to an abrupt halt. The individual at the center of the commotion was a new student.

_Well, this is sort of unexpected. A transfer student _now, _in our last year? If they're here on a scholarship for the music program, must be quite the talent,_ she mused to herself. She tried arching her neck to catch a glimpse, but it turned out to be impossible, due to the crowd. Miku settled for ignoring them for the time being and taking her seat. The last free spot was in a decent place: the second in the last column. She began to make her way towards it through the maze of desks.

"Hey, you. Your hair's very cool. It looks like the sky," a voice suddenly called out to her when she was halfway across the classroom. It was a feminine voice with a hint of maturity to it, coming from the center of the crowd.

Miku turned around to look at her; the crowd had opened up slightly, giving her a good view of the new student. The first thing she took note of was her long, silky, pink hair that had a light brown headband in it, decorated with a gold design. She wore a cheery grin and had a generally friendly ambiance about her. The tealette involuntarily smiled back. _I'm gonna like this girl, _she deduced, based on the comment about her hair.

"Thanks. Your hair's really pretty, too. Just like the sakura petals," she reciprocated the compliment.

"Wanna sit beside me?" the transfer student asked her. The current owner of that desk was about to protest, but she innocently batted her eyelashes at the boy, combined with a sweet smile. Needless to say, he grabbed his bag without any further complaint.

"Uhm, sure, why not?" Miku agreed to the sudden seat change. If a chance at a better spot in the room handed itself to her on a silver platter, who was she to not take advantage of it?

The bell rang just as she arrived to her seat, so the crowd around the new girl dispersed as the students took their seats as well. Within moments, the door opened and the teacher walked inside.

He was the kind of person you'd look at and immediately guess his profession. Rather than his short, chestnut brown hair, paired with rectangular, black-rimmed classes and a dark grey suit, it was the gullible, kind smile he wore that gave the man the blatantly obvious air of a beginner teacher. The young man made his way to the teacher's desk, carrying the navy blue class notebook and a stack of papers.

It was always the person sitting in the spot closest to the teacher's desk who had the task of leading the bowing.

"Stand up!" the girl announced and the students followed her order.

"Attention!" she gave the next order and respectful silence filled the room.

"Bow!" she instructed them and they did so, more or less properly at the same time.

"Sit down!" she said the last command and they all took their seats.

The teacher nervously cleared his throat before he began his speech. He attempted to hide his insecurity behind a confident smile.

"Good morning, class of 3-C. I'm Hiyama Kiyoteru and I'll be the homeroom teacher for this year and also the math teacher. I recognize some of your faces from the past few years. This'll be my first time as a homeroom teacher, so I hope we'll all get along," he told them.

"Now then, there's still some time left before the assembly, so let's get started on taking care of a few class things..." he said as he began to rummage through the papers.

From that moment on, Miku stopped paying attention to the happenings; she was distracted by the folded paper note that landed in the middle of her desk. She glanced to her left and saw Luka smiling at her, pointing at the note. She hastily unfolded it and found a message inside, written in elegant characters.

**Forgot to ask: what's your name? I'm Megurine Luka, but call me Luka-chan. Nice to meet you.**

Miku scribbled her reply underneath it. Her handwriting was much messier, to the point it even felt like a crime to have her scrawny characters show up on the same piece of paper. She tried erasing and rewriting, but it didn't really help.

**Nice to meet you, too. I'm Hatsune Miku, so Miku-chan is fine. **

She refolded the note and threw it back to Luka. She almost missed the desk, but the pinkette expertly caught it before it landed on the floor. She took a quick look towards the teacher and luckily, he was busy with writing something on the blackboard, so their note-passing remained unnoticed. Writing a response on the note, she threw it back to Miku.

**Well then, Miku-chan, wanna grab lunch together today?**

A frown appeared on the tealette's features. _What would Rin and Len say if I suddenly brought along a third person? I can't really ditch them on the first day, either..._ She pondered for a while before giving her answer.

**Sorry, today's a no-go. I'm sure there's a ton of people in class who'd love to join you, though. But tomorrow is fine ^_^**

She reread her message before tossing it back. _Hopefully, that doesn't seem too rude. And thank gosh for the mood-lightening power of smileys!_

Shortly afterwards, the note returned to her with an answer.

**Oh, okay. It's a promise for tomorrow! :)**

Miku let out a soft chuckle. She turned to Luka and gave her a friendly grin, accompanied by a thumbs up. The girl mirrored her gestures.

_I... think I just made a new friend. And from the looks of it, it's going to be an interesting last year of high school with her around._


	2. Chapter 2

Fluffy white clouds lazily made their way across the bright blue sky, occasionally covering up the orange ball of warmth in the middle of it and momentarily providing shade for the students of Kaion Academy during their lunch break. There were more than plenty of tables inside the three-story cafeteria building, which was open to everyone, but most of them opted to eat outside while the spring weather was still gracious to them: either at the outdoor tables or sitting on the grassy patches of the school grounds.

On such days, Miku, Rin and Len sneaked up to the roof; the teachers couldn't notice them as long as they remained near the center.

"So, how're your new classes?" Miku posed the question as they settled down with their lunches.

"Well, so-so," Len began to reply in a discontent tone. "Most of them are new faces who transferred in for high school."

"Yeah, there are only a handful of people I know," Rin confirmed his statement, also including her own experience. "And there's this one girl with strawberry pink hair, Nekomura-chan, who looks more like a first year in middle school than in high school, but her voice sounds almost like an adult!"

"Seriously?" the tealette asked back, her jaw slightly dropping in surprise.

"Mhmh. She actually seems nice, though. She sits right behind me," Rin added. "But that's nothing compared to this other guy, Piko."

"Just 'Piko'? You're already on such friendly terms with him?" Len suddenly interjected, almost apprehensively. He eyed his sister carefully as he took a sip from his soda.

"Noooo not at all really...yeah kinda sorta maybe a bit, eheheh," she revealed to them in a roundabout way, uttering the string of words in a single breath, adding a nervous giggle to the end.

Upon hearing her answer, Len began to violently cough as he almost choked on his drink. "Huuuuhhhh?" he exclaimed in disbelief.

"Well, he was the one who said in his introduction to simply call him Piko. But yeah, he sits behind me, so we chatted for a bit," she more or less explained the situation. "Anyway! That's not the point," Rin skilfully steered the conversation back to its original track. "As I was saying, he's more of a shocker than Nekomura-chan. How should I put it...? At first sight, you totally can't tell if he's a girlish boy or a boyish girl. And when you hear his voice, you just get even more confused."

"For real?" Miku wondered. "So, did someone ask him if he was a boy or girl?"

"Naaahh, though that sure would've been hilarious. He was wearing the boy uniform, of course," she clarified. "And he's like the perfect gentleman, saying sweet things to the girls all the time. With such an adorable smile, too! It makes him kinda cute~."

"Tch, what a player..." Len muttered his opinion on the matter, but the girls paid no attention to him.

"Oohhh, so Rin-chan's already falling for him?" the tealette asked her friend in a teasing tone.

"Oh please, no way. He might be cute and sweet, but so not worth battling a legion of fangirls," she brushed aside the improbable assumption. However, a faint blush that coloured her cheeks betrayed her words.

"So, yeah, there's a bunch of interesting people in my class this year," Rin concluded. "It's not as awful as I thought it'd be without Len-nii there."

"Wow, thanks Rin, good to know I'm so unnecessary," her brother sourly noted.

"Aw, c'mon, you know that's not how I meant it," she expressed her remorse. "Surely you've made new friends in your own class?"

"Unlike a certain someone, no, I couldn't really be bothered," he retorted. "Why would I need new friends if I have you two?"

_Thank gosh I didn't let Luka-chan tag along with me for lunch today. And that I didn't bail out on Rin-chan and Len-kun, either. She's fine in her new class, having suddenly turned into a social butterfly, but he isn't... _Miku observed. _So much for 'nothing else will change'..._

"Because socialising is what high school's all about?" Rin suggested. "The social skills you acquire now will be helpful later. Right, Miku-chan?"

"Eh? Uh, yeah, right," she replied automatically. Since her thoughts were suddenly disturbed, it took a moment for the question to actually sink in. "I mean, not entirely. There's more to high school than making a ton of new friends you won't even remember the names of ten years later."

"Exactly my point," he agreed, smirking victoriously. "I have better things to do with my time than put up a front for these people."

"But," Miku added, "You might want to consider making a friend or two, Len-kun. Trust me; it's better to be on good terms with your classmates if you want to have a fun year."

"Alright, whatever," he disregarded her advice, rolling his eyes.

At that moment, a brilliant idea popped into Miku's mind. _Obviously, the concept of things remaining unchanged is screwed. So I might as well make the change itself easier for them. Or at least, attempt to do so. _

"Listen up, you two. It's been just the three of us since day one, practically. I didn't think that being in different classes would be such an impact, although it looks like it actually is, so it really might be better to loosen things up a bit. No more lunches together at school," the tealette declared. An identical stunned expression appeared on the twins' faces.

"Relax, it's just for lunch. We'll still hang out together outside of school. And it's not permanent; let's try this out for a month and see where that gets us," she explained her idea in further detail. "I suppose it should apply to walking home, too. Though I guess that can go either way. And most important of all, the rooftop's reserved for the three of us only."

"I'm totally okay with it," Rin gave her consent without hesitation. The girls looked at Len, awaiting his answer.

"Fine. I suppose I'm outnumbered in this vote anyway," he finally announced after pondering it over for a short while.

_Perfect, now I just hope it won't become a disaster... And this way, I can keep my promise to Luka-chan, _she commented to herself.

"On that note... which music group are you two in?" Miku inquired. "I'm with Gumi-sensei again."

"Me, too," Rin replied with a huge grin.

"Same here," Len said, his sour mood finally lightened by a smile. "At least that only had a small chance of changing."

At Kaion Academy, the students in the music program were split into several, smaller groups to facilitate their learning. The school's objective was to develop their skills in an optimal environment; as such, the members of each group merely changed according to the number of transfers in and out. Those who were put together at the start rarely got separated later on. However, the supervising teacher did change on a yearly basis. Nevertheless, it was still possible to receive the same teacher in two consecutive years.

They passed the rest of the lunch break light-heartedly chatting up on the roof; if it was to be their last for the next short while, they didn't wish to let it go to waste by further discussing their earlier topic.

The resounding ringing of the bell brought an end to the break. The students unwillingly left the sunlight and swarmed back into the confines of their classrooms for the last class of the first day.

* * *

The sound of the locker doors closing created a cacophony in the high school building as the students prepared to leave for the day. _Of all the materials in the world, why do lockers have to be made out of metal? You'd think people would realize that it's really annoying and they should be made from something else, but obviously not, _Miku complained to herself.

She took haste in switching her shoes, in order to escape the irritating noise as soon as possible. She hurriedly passed by the numerous columns of lockers to reach the main entrance, evading the bystanders to the best of her ability; even though she was completely immersed in her own thoughts, which mainly consisted of various ways to torture the inventors of metal lockers.

Unexpectedly and unforeseeably, a student stepped right into the middle of her path. It was too late for a dodging manoeuvre; as such, she bumped right into the unsuspecting person from behind.

Miku staggered backwards, somehow managing to stay on her feet. She took a good look at the obstacle that had gotten in her way.

"Wooooaaaah, tall person..." she blurted out without thinking.

The 'tall person' in question turned around to face her. He had short blue hair, the sunlight pouring through the windows making it seem like a myriad of different shades. His deep blue eyes looked down at her, surprise reflected in them. He had a charming, youthful face; if it weren't for his orange tie, he could've still passed as a middle school student.

Time seemed to freeze for the girl; she had no idea how to react to the situation all of a sudden. _Way to go, Miku, clumsily bumping into possibly the cutest first year, _she scolded herself. Her heart pounded against her chest as her mind frantically attempted to think of something, just anything.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed in an unnaturally high and squeaky voice, staring up at him. She wanted to dash away out of embarrassment, but her feet were rooted into the ground. She was clutching her schoolbag so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"No worries, Chibikko-senpai," he said with a smile, arbitrarily bestowing a nickname upon her. "You might wanna slow down next time."

After passing on his advice to her, the boy began to saunter towards the door. Miku remained in the same spot while her brain processed the recent chain of events.

"Heeeyyyy, who's he calling a chibikko?" she retorted, albeit a minute too late. Her lips distorted into a grimace. "I'm not _that_ short... _he's_ freakishly tall!"

Miku raised her voice a bit too high; despite the loudness of the lockers, the people nearby still heard her sudden outburst. The wondering gazes gave the tealette an uncomfortable feeling, so she brusquely made her way out of the building.

The schoolyard was littered with students: some by the benches, some lazily lying on the grass, some in large groups and some in small groups.

"Hey, Miku-chan!" a voice called out to her from nearby. She glanced in its direction and spotted Luka, who was hanging out with a few girls from their class. She quickly strode over to join them.

"We're going to take advantage of our free afternoon and stroll around town a bit. Wanna come with us?" the pinkette invited her along, with a warm smile.

"Uhh... well... uhm..." Miku stumbled over her words, unsure what to reply.

She scanned the school grounds, in search of her friends. It was easy to find Rin: her white bow was merrily bobbing amidst a group of people whom Miku presumed to be her classmates. _She probably has her own plans, it seems_.

She continued to look for Len, but to no avail; he was nowhere to be seen. _I bet he's gone home already, otherwise he'd surely be waiting at the gate or something, _Miku deduced.

"Sure, let's go," she agreed to their plans at last, smiling back at Luka.

The girls set off towards the main gate, casually babbling along the way. However, Miku was only half-listening, as she was caught up in her own thoughts.

_This was pretty unexpected... The first day is barely over and we're already all split up. Quite easily at that. It was really naive of me to think that nothing will change just because the twins are in separate classes. Look at me: making a new friend and favouring her over my old ones. We did agree to it, but still... What'll happen from now on...? Was it really a good idea to let us go our own ways for an entire month?_

_

* * *

_

**Author's Note: **Short chapter is short xD The next one may or may not be longer... I'll try to have it up by the end of the month, but I'm lazy and too good at procrastinating, so, no promises.


	3. Chapter 3

"Next question: in an arithmetic sequence, the first term is 11. The sum of the first 10 terms is 4 times bigger than..." Hiyama-sensei's voice droned on, elaborating on the exercise.

_What the heck _is _this?_ Miku wondered to herself, no longer paying attention the remainder of the math problem. She propped her elbow up on the desk, resting her head in the palm of her hand and blankly staring ahead while she fiddled with her pencil in the other hand. _Why isn't it enough to know the base equations and just leave it at that? The only time I'll be in need of something stupid like this is if I were to be taken hostage by math-crazed psychopath. In which case I'd be too frightened to answer correctly anyways. _

The sweet sensation of Friday, the last school day before Golden Week to be more precise, was tainted with the sourness of math class. The laws of physics seemed to have come undone in the classroom, for the clock's hands ticked away at an excruciatingly slow pace. It seemed like an eternity before the bell would ring, signalling the lunch break.

"Look, look, Miku-chan! It's a miracle of nature!" Luka suddenly exclaimed, though keeping her voice at a whisper, poking her tealette friend with a pencil.

Her thoughts about various unlikely situations came to an abrupt halt as she shifted her head to look at the pinkette.

"What is it, Luka-chan?" she asked in a soft, yet slightly bored voice.

"Like I said, a miracle of nature," she repeated nonchalantly. She pointed to a little black speck on her desk.

Miku leaned a bit closer to Luka's desk in order to get a better look at the so-called 'miracle of nature' in their midst. The black speck turned out to be living, moving creature. A very fast moving one in fact, speedily scurrying along on its six feet: an ant.

"Your 'miracle of nature' is an _ant_?" Miku wondered with a hint of scepticism, raising her eyebrows.

"Yup!" Luka confirmed happily. "Isn't it a miracle how it journeyed all the way from the grassy pastures to the arduous conditions of our classroom and _survived_?"

"Well, if you put it that way," she agreed, a light chuckle escaping from her lips.

"Our brave traveller must be nearly starved to death after a day full of perilous challenges. Do you have any crumbs to spare for the poor fellow?" she pleaded with her hands clasped together, adding a dramatic edge to it.

"I think I've got some crackers in my bag..." Miku offered, already starting to search for it. After a minute of fumbling around, she finally found the packet and handed it to Luka.

"Thank you for your generous donation," she expressed her gratitude while taking it, a large smile blooming on her face.

She took one out and broke it in half above the ant so as to sprinkle down some crumbs. Completely forgetting about the tiny detail that they were in class, the two girls began to intently observe the creature.

The ant wasn't very keen on going after food. Contrariwise, it made sure to outright evade the morsels. Luka attempted to more or less carefully brush it in the right direction with her hand.

"Huh, maybe it's not hungry..." Miku suggested after a while. "And it looks like it's limping a bit..."

"Naaaahh, ants are sturdy animals. Which explains why it's not hungry. Perhaps thirsty instead," she concluded. "A little bit of Coke would give it a nice energy boost."

By the time Miku could've voiced her doubts about the unusual idea, Luka had already spilled a drop of the substance onto her desk. Once more, the ant was reluctant to head towards it, so the pinkette nudged it straight into the blob.

"I think the time has come for a name to be bestowed upon this courageous ant. So from now on, it shall be known as Susie," Luka decided all of a sudden.

"Seriously? Susie?" Miku asked in bewilderment, raising an eyebrow. "What kind of name is that for an ant? How can you tell that it's a foreigner, anyway?"

"Why, what's wrong with it? It suits her perfectly," Luka insisted. "I mean, just look at her. A total Susie."

"Ahhh, Megurine-san, Hatsune-san, what are you chattering about? Discussing the solution to the problem, I hope?" Hiyama-sensei finally turned his attention towards the girls, though his tone wasn't very scolding.

"No, Sensei. We're taking care of a miracle of nature," Luka informed him, making it sound like nothing out of the ordinary. "Susie, the ant."

A mixture of snickers and soft laughter erupted in the classroom as most of the heads turned towards the two of them. Miku's eyes widened in shock at Luka's ease of replying. _Girl's got guts, talking to Sensei like that._

"O-ohh, is that so? I think you should stop harassing the poor thing now..." he recommended. He continued before waiting for an answer from them. "Now, let's look at the next question..."

"Psh, this is so not harassing," Luka complained, glaring daggers at his back.

"No, not harassment," Miku agreed with her. "It's outright murder now. You drowned Susie in the drop of Coke."

"Ooopsie..." She quickly prodded the ant out of the liquid and set the creature aside to dry. "She's a sturdy ant, she'll be fine."

"Yeah, we wouldn't want to incur the wrath of a dead ant," Miku commented sarcastically. "But... Maybe we should wash her off in some water."

"Mhm, sounds good. Have any?" Luka asked. The tealette nodded and handed her water bottle to her friend and partner in almost-crime.

The pinkette poured a little bit of water next to Susie and handed the bottle back to Miku. She pushed the ant into the fluid for a couple of seconds and then pushed her out of it. They kept a watchful eye over the bug; neither of them looked forward to the guilty feeling of having abused a defenceless animal to its death. A sigh of relief left their mouths as Susie started to scurry around again on the desk.

"Told ya Susie'd be fine," Luka claimed in full confidence. "Death is nothing in the face of a miracle of nature!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," the tealette said with a chuckle.

"Hey, we should build an ant house for her!" Luka suggested, pointing her index finger in the air.

"With an ant TV in it, too, huh?" Miku wondered, in an obviously mocking tone.

"Of course. Wouldn't want Susie to get bored," she replied quite seriously. It was hard to tell if that in itself was supposed to make her answer funnier or if she really meant it.

They both had to stifle their laughter as the mental image popped into their heads. Although not for long; at that moment, the bell rang and granted them their freedom. After the standard bowing procedure, Hiyama-sensei left the classroom, wishing them a good holiday.

"What should we do with Susie during the lunch break? Take her with us?" Luka posed the question to her friend.

"I think it's time for the 'miracle' to go back to nature," Miku advised, comfortingly putting a hand on Luka's shoulder. "Any more time with us and she'll be dead for good, probably."

"Yeah, you've got a point. I'll take her outside and leave her on a tree or something." Luka offered.

"Uhhh, no. You've already broken one of her legs. In your hands, she wouldn't even survive going downstairs. Leave it to me, I'll make sure she's safe and sound," Miku reassured her with a gentle smile.

_Gosh, what am I doing? I've gotten totally caught up in Luka's pace, _she noted to herself. _Well, I guess it's okay to live on the fun side of life once in a while. _

"Can't deny that... Alright, you do that while I grab us a table outside for lunch," Luka gave her consent to the idea after a moment of pondering. Soon afterwards, she skipped out of the classroom alongside the other students.

Miku carefully scooped the ant into the palm of her hand. _Now, what to do with you... _she began to think. _There is no way I'm walking across the school carrying an ant in my hand, even though I promised Luka that I'd make sure Susie's safe. _

She looked around the classroom in hopes of a brilliant solution appearing in her mind. _Too bad we don't have any flowers in our classroom... though it could actually use the greenery..._ she mused. _Hmm, green..._ the colour lingered in her mind as the apple green curtains swayed in a light breeze from the opened window. _Aha, perfect!_

The tealette walked over to the window. She took a deep breath of the fresh, spring air, closing her eyes momentarily. With utmost caution, she placed the ant on the outer sill of the window. _She won't be crushed by anyone here, that's for sure._ She stayed there for a little while longer, simply enjoying the nice weather. A minute or two later, she remembered that it was, in fact, lunch time and Luka was surely waiting for her. She headed towards the door at a brisk speed.

* * *

The halls were almost empty, with the exception of a few lingering students. For that reason, Miku didn't feel the need to slow down as she made her way to the stairs. It turned out to be a big mistake soon enough. Though at this point, it didn't count as such anymore.

A student stepped out of 1-B's classroom just as she was passing by. It happened faster than her reaction time, so she ended up bumping into the person. Two firm hands grabbed her shoulder to keep her from falling down. Even without looking up, she knew immediately who it was. So did her heart, which began to beat faster and faster.

"If it isn't Chibikko-senpai again," the boy commented. Upon hearing his voice, Miku looked up and saw him smirking down at her.

"Hi, Se Takai-kun," she greeted him casually, using the nickname she came up with. He hadn't voiced his complaints about it yet, nor did she about hers. "Sorry for bumping into you... again..."

Miku had been almost constantly colliding with the tall boy ever since the day of the opening ceremony. It became a part of their daily routines to meet up like this. Sometimes he bumped into her, sometimes the other way around. Strangely enough, he was the only person to become an obstruction in her way on a regular basis. She had also ascertained the fact that he was indeed the cutest out of all the first year students; not just among them, but in the whole high school section, actually. As the days passed by, she became less and less nervous with each meeting. However, she still hadn't mustered the courage to find out his real name, much less hold an actual conversation with him.

"No problem, I don't mind at all. Can't say you make a heavy impact," he assured her. "Bump into ya later, Chibikko-senpai."

With that, he started to walk towards the stair. Miku remained in her spot, watching his head of blue hair slowly disappear from view. Only then did she take a step forward, this time going a little bit slower than before. _For the love of spring onions, why do I keep bumping into him, of all people? I bet he thinks I'm an incredibly clumsy girl by now. Which is so not the case! I think... It's just him and no one else that this happens with... If I only knew why..._

Letting out a profound sigh, she steadily made her downstairs and towards the cafeteria.

* * *

Luckily for the students, spring brought nothing but nice and sunny weather for the most part. As such, Miku and Luka preferred to eat their lunch out in the open. For the first week or so, several girls and boys from their class also joined them in order to get to know the transfer student better. Their numbers began to dwindle as Luka's eccentric personality shined bright; too bright for their eyes, and their lack of it too boring for her. Thus, it was just the two girls now.

Having bought her meal, Miku walked over to the group of tables. She spotted Luka almost immediately; it was hard not to, since she was enthusiastically waving with her hand, beckoning for her friend to come join her. Along the way, she cast a few glances at the other tables. She noticed that Rin was hanging out with Piko, Nekomura-chan and a few others; as usual. On the other hand, she couldn't see Len anywhere; as usual. They've kept their word of eating lunch separately, but the older girl always tried to keep an eye out for them, just in case.

Miku placed the tray on the wooden table and took a seat beside Luka, who had patiently waited for her arrival and hadn't begun eating yet.

"Itadakimasu," they both said at the same time and clapped their hands together.

"So," Luka began to say, taking a short pause to eat a bite, "Susie's safe and sound?"

"Of course she is, no need to worry," Miku informed her.

"Awesome," she acknowledged the fact without asking for details. "Do you have any plans for Golden Week?"

"Nothing in particular. I'll probably just hang out with Rin-chan and Len-kun. What about you?" she returned the question.

"Right, your roommate and her twin," the pinkette recalled. "Well, I'm going on a little trip. With my boyfriend, Gakkun."

"Eeeehhh?" she exclaimed in disbelief. "You haven't mentioned yet that you have a boyfriend!"

During their conversations, Miku had learned quite a bit about Luka, even some personal things. Like how her parents had divorced when she was younger and she moved to the United States with her mother, while her younger brother stayed with their father in Japan. Music was part of their family's heritage, so their parents decided on having them apply for a scholarship at Kaion Academy when they heard about it. Both Luka and her brother were accepted, so now they were living together on the island in a rented house in order to strengthen the bond between them. However, the boyfriend never once popped up in the stories about her life.

"Heheheh, I haven't?" Luka wondered with a nervous laugh. "Well, I'll tell you about him now. I guess I do forget about him as a boyfriend sometimes, since we don't meet often..."

She gazed up at the clear blue sky, her sapphire eyes seeming distant as her lips curled into a melancholic smile. Miku stared at her friend, attempting to comprehend her expression. _She must really love him... And it must really hurt her that he's not by her side, _she mused.

"So uhm, yeah..." Luka finally spoke after a few moments of silence. "Gakkun and I have been together for two years now, but I've known him for much longer. We were neighbours in America and went to the same school. He's a bit of a weird dude himself, so we quickly became best friends. Over the years, we became more than just that... Unfortunately, after graduation, he got busy with work, so we could only keep in touch through texts, e-mails and phone calls. But whenever there's a school break or something, we go on vacation somewhere to spend some time together, just the two of us."

"Aaaww, how sweet," Miku commented. _I'm still missing some details about this guy, but this'll do for now. It's probably tough for her to talk about him... _she figured. "Where are you going this time?"

"Since it's just a week, we're going to the Kurokawa Onsen. Though actually, it'll be almost two weeks, since I won't be back until Tuesday. Speaking of which, I have a favour to ask," she announced.

"Sure, what is it?" Miku quickly agreed to do it.

"I told you how I'm living with my brother, right? Could you check up on him while I'm gone? You know, just to make sure he hasn't drowned in his own filth or blown up the house or anything like that. He's a big boy and can take care of himself, I know, but still... He can get a bit crazy at times. I'd be calmer if I got some reliable info about him like, halfway through the break," she roughly explained the situation to the tealette.

"All right, I can do that," she confirmed. She took out her cell phone and passed it to Luka. "Save your address in it."

"Thanks, Miku-chan! I knew I could count on you." She handed back the cell phone once she was finished. "By the way, you know a bit about my love life, so it's only fair if you tell me a bit about yours, ne?"

_Urgh, should've seen that coming... A 'love life' is something I completely lack, but I can't tell her the one thing that did happen, yet. _He_ wouldn't be too happy about it, especially since _she _doesn't know either. I'll just be really vague about it, _she decided.

"Well, there's not much to say. I'm not really the type to go out with a lot of boys. So nope, no boyfriend," she concluded. _Please, don't ask any more questions..._

"Oh, I see. I thought a cute girl like you would be getting confessions right and left," Luka noted, jokingly elbowing her. The tealette shrugged in response.

For the rest of the lunch period, they moved on to lighter discussion topics. Before they knew it, the bell rang and forced them to return to their classrooms for a little while longer until the Golden Week vacation could start.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yeah, I changed the name and summary of the story... Though it's just as cheesy as the previous one xD But I think this one fits it better.

For those who may not know: "se takai" means "tall person" and an onsen is a hot spring.


	4. Chapter 4

Sunday afternoon lazily rolled around, the wonderful feeling of not having school the following day filling the students' minds. Even though the new school term had merely begun, the one week vacation was very much welcomed.

The trio made sure to benefit from every moment of it: naturally, by procrastinating the entire day away. On this occasion, Miku and Len were chilling in the common area of the dormitory, flicking through the channels on one of the television sets whilst Rin took it upon herself to prepare their dinner.

After a while, an unbelievably foul smell violated their noses, coming all the way from the kitchen. Miku wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Eeeeewww, something reeks," the tealette stated.

"It's as if someone threw together stinky old gym socks and rotten fish, then burnt it on the stove," Len deduced, sniffing into the air.

"Yeah, that sounds about right. It can't be Rin-chan, can it?" she wondered, raising an eyebrow.

They swiftly exchanged a worried glance, several versions of hypothetical tragedy springing up inside their overactive imaginations. Without another word, Len jumped up from the plush sofa and rushed towards the kitchen, alternating between walking and jogging. Miku followed right behind him, eventually catching up.

The boy tugged at the half-closed sliding door, throwing it wide open. The repulsive stench tripled in intensity as it was released from the confines of the kitchen, stubbornly taking their smelling organs hostage. An ominous cloud of dark grey smoke rose from a black pot simmering on the stove.

A deep sigh of relief escaped his lips when he saw that despite the obvious signs of her epic failure at endeavouring to cook, his twin sister was safe and seemingly unscathed. She was standing in front of the stove, holding her head and expressing her anguish with a string of incoherent sounds. She immediately fell silent and lowered her arms as he stepped behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. He brought his face beside hers, in order to take a peek at the mysterious concoction in the pot.

"Congratulations Rin, you've managed to create a biological weapon," Len praised his sister, albeit entirely with sarcastic intent.

Guided by her curiosity, Miku also walked over to the stove to take a look at what she had brewed up. Setting sight on it, she vigorously nodded her head, confirming Len's statement.

"I wonder how much the government would pay for it?" she mused out loud, trying to keep her giggles from erupting.

Rin's cooking was truly a frightful creation, something straight out of a nightmare. It was an unidentifiable blob of jet black goo, menacingly bubbling in the container; it seemed as if it would suddenly jump out and attack you at any second, melting the skin right off your bones. If one would like to describe 'life-threatening danger' by food, that's what it would most probably look like. Just gazing at it made their stomachs ache... from holding back their laughter. Even with its foreboding aura, the substance had a fairly comical quality to it.

"What were you even trying to make, Rin?" her brother asked. Puzzlement was scrawled over his face as he tried to guess the ingredients that resulted in such a mess.

"That's for me to know and you to never find out," the blonde replied enigmatically. She grabbed the pot's handle and carried it to the garbage can so as to dispose of it; rather than sacrifice her life by attempting to wash it, she opted for sacrificing the pot instead. A new container can always be bought. New fingers? Not so much. "And we shall never speak of this again, understood?"

They replied to her intimidating tone with a single nod. A heavy silence settled between the three of them. _All right Miku, it's up to you to think of something for dinner now, _the tealette told herself. After a few moments of pondering, a brilliant idea came to mind.

"Clover Club?" the older girl suggested to her friends, a faint smile already sneaking onto her lips.

"Clover Club," the twins replied in unison, decisively nodding their heads.

Those two words were a magic phrase to them: Clover Club was their favourite place to hang out. It was one of the few family restaurants in Otoshima and definitely the best. Since it was almost on the other end of the island, which meant an hour long walk, and a little bit on the expensive side, they only usually went there once a month. In the light of recent events, this seemed to be a perfect occasion to do so.

* * *

"We're here!" Rin exclaimed cheerfully as the trio turned around the last street corner to reach their destination. The unsuccessful cooking experiment seemed to be nothing more than a distant memory to the girl.

A few cherry blossom petals swirled to the ground, gently blown by a faint breeze. The setting sun's rays dyed the sky with a serene shade of soft orange, tinting the puffy clouds that calmly floated by. Not just the clouds, but the buildings had also received a layer of the orange hue. Clover Club's rectangular structure appeared to be even older than it actually was, as its fittingly clover green colour was deepened to a darker shade, thus making the slight imperfections all the more visible.

They approached the restaurant and walked inside, the sound of the little bell hanging above the door signalling their arrival. The chime was overpowered by the combined chatter and laughter of the establishment's guests. Considering the time and day, it was almost entirely packed.

In contrast to the mediocre exterior, Clover Club boasted of an extraordinary interior. It had a unique ambiance, bestowed by the myriad of styles and themes that the furniture and decorations represented. In one corner, there was a coffee table with colourful bean bags surrounding it. In a different nook, there was an elegant oak dining table with finely carved chairs placed around it. You name it, you could probably find it somewhere in the building. Or if you couldn't and mentioned your dilemma to the staff, you'd be able to locate the item at the time of your next visit. It might sound like an awkward mash-up, but in reality, it gave the place an exceptional impression.

Scouring the restaurant, the three friends managed to find an empty spot for themselves. It was a partially secluded booth, reminiscent of those in regular restaurants, with a vivid yellow, plastic table and bright red leather seats. Rin and Len sat down beside each other, Miku across from them. They each grabbed a menu from the holder on the table and began skimming through it.

"So, Rin, why exactly did you turn the kitchen into your personal laboratory?" her brother casually asked.

"I-I just wanted to practice cooking, th-that's all," she replied, her voice a bit unstable as she intently gazed downwards at the menu in front of her. It was obvious for the other two that that explanation was far from being _all_.

"Uh-huh, yeah, the idea popped into your mind out of the blue, for no particular reason whatsoever," Miku commented, her tone indicating her disbelief.

"Erm, exactly!" the blonde exclaimed after a second of hesitation, looking up.

"You, who'd rather starve to death than so much as make yourself a sandwich," Len added, leaning back on the seat.

"Uhm, it was time to change that?" Rin proposed another excuse, her gaze flittering between her friends, hoping they'd accept it and drop the subject.

"Hell froze over already?" the male Kagamine wondered out loud.

"Haha, very funny," his sister retorted, followed by a sigh of defeat. "Bah, I know you two won't shut up unless I give a proper answer," she admitted, frowning. "The truth is, I want to start taking a bento to school."

"Ooohhh, for that Piko guy in your class?" Miku immediately jumped to the conclusion.

"O-of course not!" the girl flat-out denied the accusation. The intense blush that appeared on her cheeks proved just the opposite.

"Rin, you _are_ aware of the fact that you'd need to wake up earlier in the mornings," Len reminded her, in an attempt to steer the conversation away from her motives.

She opened her mouth to speak, taking a deep breath and abruptly closed it again. A few moments passed before she replied, furrowing her brows. "Actually, no, I didn't get that far ahead in planning. It was an idea destined to be doomed right from the start, wasn't it?"

"Aaaww, Rin-chan, don't give up on it so easily," the tealette consoled her. "Remember that movie, with the mouse chef in it? Anyone can cook!"

"Mhm, I remember it. I also remember that 'anyone can, that doesn't mean that anyone should' was the continuation," she retorted with a scowl.

"But _you_ should," Miku kept encouraging her friend. "I mean, you have the right kind of motivation for it, if I'm not mistaken."

"I honestly wonder about that sometimes..." she mumbled her answer, the pink tinge returning to her cheeks as she blankly stared down at the menu on the table. Len fixated his gaze on her face with a distant look in his eyes.

The conversation came to a halt, the background noise of the restaurant drowning out their silence. _Ah, the troubles of young love are plaguing poor Rin-chan, _Miku mused to herself._ If only I could give her some sort of helpful advice..._

"Yo, Kagamine-kun!" someone called out to their table. Len's head perked up, searching for the source. _Somehow, that voice sounds familiar... _the tealette noticed.

She followed Len's line of sight. Approaching their table was a Clover Club waiter, pen and notebook in hand. A deep crimson bloomed on her face as she recognized the person. She was used to bumping into him at school, but it came as a sudden shock to meet him elsewhere. That blue hair, towering above the people around him, was a sight already etched into her mind. _What is _he _doing here, of all places? _She snapped her head back, body tensing up.

"Oh, hey Shion," the boy responded indifferently. "Didn't know that you're a part-timer here."

"It's always nice to have some extra money," he said with a shrug. A warm smile crossed his face as he realized that Miku was also there. "Ah, hi Chibikko-senpai! So you were a friend of Kagamine-kun's..."

Rin shot her a questioning look upon hearing the nickname that the boy used. The words trapped in her throat, Miku merely nodded in reply.

"And you must be Kagamine-kun's twin sister. It'd be more surprising if you weren't," he noted, observing the blonde. Recalling that he was there as their waiter, he flipped open the notebook with ease and pushed the end of the pen. "Then, what can I bring you all?"

"Hmm, yaki soba and orange juice," Rin declared.

"Tonkatsu and soda for me," Len added.

"Curry-rice and soda, please," Miku gave her order. The boy swiftly scribbled them all down.

"Okay, I'll be right back with your meals," he announced, taking his leave.

When he was out of hearing distance, the tealette relaxed her shoulders and let out a deep breath.

"How do you know Se Takai-kun, I mean, that guy?" she immediately posed the question to Len.

"Better question: how do _you_ know him?" Rin interjected. A sly grin made its way onto her lips. "Chibikko-senpai, was it?"

"Hey, I asked first," she retorted. "So I get an answer first."

"Shion Kaito's just a classmate," the boy replied without a single word in excess. She smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand.

"Of course he's your classmate..." she noted out loud. _Now that I think about it, he did come out of 1-B's classroom when I bumped into him on Friday, _she continued the thought. _And now I know that his name is Kaito. _"Is he a new friend of yours?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," he stated in an unsure tone. "He's a persistent guy that smiles too much."

"What about you, Miku-chan? Spill it already," Rin demanded impatiently.

"This is going to sound a bit stupid..." she began to explain. "I've been bumping into him at school. Like, literally."

"Seriously?" the blonde asked.

"Seriously," she confirmed, her complexion turning to rose. On cue, the twins burst out in mocking laughter.

"Sorry, Miku-chan, but that's just... wow..." Len apologized between chuckles.

"He's just... _always there..._ in my way," she went into further detail. "There's hardly a day when I don't see him."

"Have you even already fallen for him?" Rin wondered. "And yes, pun totally intended. I admit, he's definitely a cute catch."

"Don't be stupid, Rin-chan. Being a total klutz doesn't automatically result in liking someone. Neither does cuteness. It's the same as passing someone on the street, except it's on a daily basis," she clarified the situation.

"Then why'd you camouflage with the very seat you're sitting on when you laid eyes on him, huh?" the blonde pursued the inquisition.

Miku had no idea what to reply all of a sudden. Her instincts kicked in, urging her to avoid answering at all cost. "Be right back, going to the toilet." She stood up from the table and scurried in its direction.

* * *

Inside the women's facilities, the tealette stared at her reflection in the mirror, many thoughts zipping through her mind.

_What I am doing in here, unnecessarily overreacting? Why did I run away, if I said the truth? There's no way Rin-chan'll believe me now. Even though her theory is completely preposterous. I'm not the kind of fickle-minded girl who'd fall for the first cute boy that comes her way, am I? Of course I'm not. Because then I'd be in an entirely different situation now, if that were the case. Then why am I handling the current one so badly? Ugh, whatever. Here's hoping she's smart enough to drop the topic now. _

She stayed for another minute or two before leaving the restroom. Though it would've been more fortunate if she had waited three or four instead.

The moment she chose to open the door and step out was when Kaito happened to be passing by. Their orders in hand, to be precise. The head-on collision was inevitable; in Miku's case, it was more like head to chest.

The next instant, she found herself lying on the floor and the boy kneeling above her. His elbows were right beside her head, pinning her down. His arms trembled as he was precariously balancing the plates in his hands. Her face got a little bit warmer and her heart started beating a little bit faster.

"I'm really, really sorry for causing you trouble again!" Miku got straight to apologizing. _Great, now I'm even getting in his way when he's working... _

"Well, the food survived, so it's fine," he reassured her. Even though she couldn't directly see his face, she could hear the gentle smile in his voice.

"Oh, so _now_ you've fallen for him!" Rin interrupted them with her teasing remark about their position. From where they were sitting, the twins saw the entire scene and headed over to them.

"How about shutting up and making yourself useful?" Miku snapped back at her, the irritation easily audible in her tone. _As if I wasn't embarrassed enough, she just had to go and say something idiotic... _The reaction earned a chuckle from the boy above her.

The Kagamines took the plates from Kaito, thus allowing him to get to his feet. He offered his hand to Miku, who had now sat up. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to accept his help. He firmly gripped her hand in order to pull her up. Her heart threatened to jump out from its place due to the sensation of his skin touching her skin.

"Th-Thanks," she managed to mutter as she quickly drew her hand back, once she was stable on her feet again. "I really should start paying attention to where I'm going, shouldn't I?"

"It's fine, Chibikko-senpai," he said with his signature smile. "As long as nothing breaks, I don't really mind bumping into you."

"Shion! Stop slacking off and get back to work!" The scolding from another waitress passing by disrupted their moment.

"Right away!" he answered. He took the plates from the twins and the little group returned to their table.

Thankfully, the rest of their time at Clover Club passed without any major incidents.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Uhm, better late than never xD? I have exams coming up, so it'll probably be a month or two again until the next update.  
A huge thank you to everyone who takes the time to read & review my story ^w^


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **So, it looks like my approaching exams are making me counterproductive :P Besides, writing fanfiction is so much more fun than studying~ Since I'm putting my future on the line, I hope you all enjoy it, at least =) A huge thank you to everyone who reads & reviews ^^

* * *

The peaceful days of Golden Week passed in rapid succession. It felt as if it had only just begun, but they were already in the middle of it as Thursday came along, the break's end looming right around the corner.

"Jan, ken, pon!" Miku, Rin and Len chanted, shaking their fists to each word. The outcome: two scissors and one paper, clearly meaning a loss for one out of the three friends.

The trio was hanging out at one of the few playgrounds in Otoshima, the early afternoon sun indirectly blazing down on them through the emerald leaves of the tree they were sitting in. The twins sat on one branch and Miku on another one.

"Bah, that is so not fair! Using that sneaky twin-telepathy of yours against me," the tealette noisily complained about her defeat, her lips curving into a displeased pout.

"It is what it is, Miku-chan. The deities of jan-ken-pon gave the victory to us today," Rin commented with a triumphant smirk on her face, crossing her arms.

"And literally every single other time we've settled things with it as well," Miku bitterly added, furrowing her brows.

"Oh, you're just exaggerating," she brushed her claim aside without a second thought. "Now, go to the convenience store already and buy some snacks. Pleeeaaaase?"

"Fine, fine, I'll go," Miku agreed to do the shopping. _Sheesh, the hardships of being a big sister figure, _she remarked to herself as she rolled her eyes.

When there was something to be taken care of, it more often than not turned into a bout of bickering between them. As such, they decided quite early on to solve the problem with the diplomatic method of playing a round of jan-ken-pon. Unfortunately for Miku, luck was never on her side. She merely dreamed of the day when one of the Kagamines would have to shoulder the burden of carrying out the task at hand.

The tealette dug into the pocket of her knee-length jeans in search of some change. A few moments later, she pulled out her hand and laid her palm open. Two 50-yen and a 10-yen coin were all she had.

"Alright, donations please," she announced. "The more I get, the more I bring."

Rin and Len complied, adding the contents of their pockets to the coins in Miku's hand. All combined, they almost had a thousand yen. The girl sunk the handful of change back into her pocket.

"Wait right here, I'll be back soon," she said as she carefully leaped down from the branch, managing to land on her feet. She dusted herself off a bit before setting out towards the general direction of the convenience store.

* * *

Miku stepped out of the shop, a plastic bag filled with goodies in hand. She took out her cell phone and flipped it open to check the time. As she slipped it back into her pocket and began to walk back to the playground, a thought occurred to her.

_I'm forgetting something. Definitely forgetting something very important, _she mused. _Perhaps I wrote a reminder for it?_

She pulled out her cell phone again, hoping she was smart enough to have saved it there. After a few minutes of browsing, she found what she was indeed looking for. She let out a loud groan in realization.

"My promise to Luka-chan!" she exclaimed. "Gosh, how could it have slipped my mind?"

She took a proper look at the address. _Well, I think this street is somewhere around here, so I'll just quickly check in on her brother and then go back, _she decided.

After a short while of wandering around, Miku arrived at her destination. Upon first glance, it was a cozy little house, fitting in with the scenery of the street. It was a relatively cube-shaped, cream-coloured complex, split into two levels. A thick, grey concrete fence blocked the view of the lawn from the sidewalk. Attached to it was a bronze plaque, with the characters for 'Megurine' graved into it.

_No doubt about it, this is the place,_ she ascertained the fact. _And it's certainly a good sign that the building is still standing. _She stepped on the cobblestone path that led through the opening in the concrete wall to the main entrance of the house. She came to a halt after a few strides.

_Okay, so I remembered I had to check up on Luka-chan's brother and found my way here. But what next? I can't just ring the doorbell and say 'Hey, I'm your sister's friend and I'm only here to make sure you're all right,' because that would be awkward much,_ she began to worry about the situation.

_Gah, I should've at least brought something with me... Oh hey, I actually did! Although it doesn't give a very responsible impression of me to provide him with snacks as food... But if I don't give him anything when I have a full bag of seemingly groceries with me, he'll think I'm stingy. There's no way I can win today, _she realized.

_I guess I'll go for irresponsible_, she made her mind up. She peeked inside the plastic bag in an attempt to pick out something suitable. In the end, she settled on a packet of onigiri.

She took a deep breath in order to mentally prepare herself. She pressed the doorbell's button for a few seconds. After a minute of waiting, no one came to open the door, nor did she hear any sound signalling the approach of someone. As such, she pressed the button again, for a much longer period of time. She began to fidget as another minute passed while the door remained closed. She was about to push the button once more when she finally heard the noise of footsteps slowly and sluggishly proceeding down the stairs.

The door gradually creaked open. Miku's jaw dropped in bafflement upon setting her eyes on the person who opened it. _No. Freaking. Way. _Those three words were the most coherent a thought her brain could come up with, constantly ringing through her mind like a siren. She could've easily passed for a fire truck as her complexion turned an intense scarlet from embarrassment.

Standing before her was none other than Shion Kaito. The additional awkwardness, which elicited such an extreme blush from the girl, was due to his attire. More precisely, his lack thereof. His sweatpants hung dangerously low on his waist while his upper body was completely naked. And what a fine upper body it was, in her eyes. Not a well-defined six-pack, but no excessive chubbiness either. It was just right for someone his age; exactly what she would've imagined seeing, supposing she daydreamt about it in the first place. Which she didn't, because that would've made her a pervert. And she had often stressed to herself that she wasn't one. _If this was an anime, I'd be nose bleeding the very life out of me, _she remarked_. _

They stood in uncomfortable silence as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes with one hand and scratched his stomach with the other. Miku was at a complete loss for words. She couldn't find it in her to avert her gaze. Her knees began to wobble, threatening to give way beneath her. It felt like her heart would burst through her ribcage at any second. All her other encounters with him in the past faded in comparison.

"Chibikko-senpai?" he wondered, recognizing her at last. He peered down at her, one eye closed and the other one adorably half-open. His voice snapped Miku out of her trance.

"Sorry, wrong house!" she blurted out in her moderately high-pitched, squeaky tone without really giving the words any thought.

She swiftly turned around, her teal twin tails twirling behind her. She took a step forward, but stopped right afterward as the plastic bag bumped against her leg, reminding the girl of its existence. She plunged her hand in it and pulled out an onigiri packet, then turned back to Kaito. She extended her arm, offering it to him, all the while looking at the ground beneath her feet. Not entirely conscious yet and guided by the instinct of his empty belly, he took it from her without remarks or complaints.

Mission 'accomplished' to the best of her capability, she figured it was best to leave before he gained the ability of speech. Her feet valiantly led her away at a quickened pace. She broke into a dash once she was well-hidden by the concrete fence.

* * *

A couple of street corners later, she stopped to catch her breath, taking a seat on the edge of the sidewalk. As her breathing steadied, the gears of her mind were set into motion, logically putting together the pieces of the puzzle. Before long, she reached a reasonable conclusion.

_Oh damn, Se Takai-kun, I mean, Shion-kun is Luka-chan's brother's gay lover! Why didn't it occur to me any sooner? Of course the cute ones are always gay. Well, perhaps not always, but most of the time. And the exceptions strengthen the rule_, she rambled on and on.

The piercing clarity of realization stabbed through her mind. _It makes so much sense. It puts everything into a different light. I should've noticed that something was fishy about him never getting flustered when we bumped into each other. Not to mention that he seemed so nice and forgiving about it. Any other teenage guy would've just unashamedly taken advantage of the situation by now. It also explains why Len-kun described him as a persistent guy the other day. I wonder if I should tell him about this... Probably shouldn't. If he's with Luka-chan's brother now, he won't be bugging him anymore. And I bet neither of them would appreciate their secret getting out._

The newfound knowledge that she had acquired consequently caused the creation of a certain feeling of emptiness in her heart. _Why... why does this make me feel so... broken inside? The shock, I understand. Because honestly, I so wasn't expecting this in the least. But it makes no difference to me, right? Why should it? Since we're not even friends or anything of the sort. Heck, we haven't even had a proper conversation! It was merely a stroke of luck that I found out his name, even. And now I also know he sleeps in late and isn't a morning person. And that he's handsome underneath the clothes, too; but that's totally beside the point. I'm just clumsy enough to crash into him all the time, that's all. That's all; nothing more, nothing less._

She let out a sigh deeper than the Grand Canyon and began twirling the end of one her ponytails around her finger, blankly staring at the paving. _Well, there's nothing for me to do about it. And actually, why am I even making a big deal about it? I shouldn't, because it has no relation to me whatsoever. No effect on me in the least. Nope, none at all. No impact on my life. Actually wait, scratch that. There is no way I can face Se Takai-kun ever again. It's impossible; inconceivable, even! I guess I can admit that I didn't really try avoiding bumping into him since that first time. But from now on, I'll have to pay extra attention as to where I'm going and the speed I'm going at. It would be just too awkward after today's event. I think it used up my awkward quota for the next century, perhaps millennium. _

She raised her gaze towards the sky, observing the clouds serenely drifting by. _Speaking of awkward, I have to report to Luka-chan about how her brother's doing. I can imagine how that text would sound. 'Hi Luka-chan, I didn't actually speak with your brother but I'm sure he's doing mighty fine because a half-clad guy opened the door for me.' Yeah, not very reassuring. Actually, that sounds very alarming. It was too premature of me to think that they're lovers. What if Shion-kun's holding her brother hostage and _forcing things _on him? What if he's a serial killer and is about to mercilessly murder him? _

That idea popped out of her head as soon as it had popped into it. Miku resorted to facepalming herself. _Oi, even for me, that's too crazy of a theory. And it would've been too careless of him to simply open the door like that. Nope, they must be lovers. No other explanation would make sense. Uh, where was I? Ah, right, texting Luka. I can't help but wonder if she knows about her brother's tendencies or not. Because if she doesn't, then I shouldn't write something that would put him into a delicate situation once she gets home. So I have to keep it vague. Something along the lines of 'The house is still standing and your brother's all right. Don't worry, just enjoy the rest of your vacation with Gakkun!' should suffice. _

The tealette took out her cell phone and quickly sent the message to Luka. As she was about to put it away, it began to vibrate. It was an incoming call, from Rin.

"Hey Rin-chan, what's wrong?" she asked as she picked up.

"What's wrong? I should be the one asking you that! What's taking you so long? Did you get abducted or something?" the girl on the other side of the line questioned her.

_Ooops, right, Rin-chan and Len-kun are waiting for me in the playground. Well, Rin-chan's probably waiting for her snacks more_, she pondered to herself before answering.

"Ah, no, I'm all right. There was a long line at the convenience store." The lie slipped out of her mouth involuntarily. "I'll be right there."

"Oh, okay. Hurry up Miku-chan, we're starving here," Rin rebuked her before ending the call.

She lightly chuckled as she put her cell phone away. _Might as well get going. Sitting here and thinking my brains out won't be of any use_, she realized. She got to her feet and started walking in the direction of the playground.

_Besides, there's nothing for me to think about anymore. What more is there for me to think about Se Takai-kun being gay?_


	6. Chapter 6

The end of Golden Week meant the start of school on the following Monday. The classrooms were once again filled with students. The chalkboards were once again filled with a wide variety of the teachers' markings. The hands on the clocks diligently ticked away as they neared noon at a steady pace.

Miku's gaze wandered to the wall on a regular basis, checking upon the passage of time. While taking notes, now and then she glanced to her left, towards the window. And also, the empty seat of her friend still on vacation, Megurine Luka.

A soft sigh left her lips. _It's so tranquil without her around,_ she observed. _I've almost forgotten what it's like. Now, it almost seems kind of lonely. Boring, even. Funny how easily things change. In such a short time, I had grown so used to spending the school day with her._

_Yeah, the entire school day... Where I should go during lunch break today? It would be sort of awkward to sit at our usual table all on my own. Perhaps it's time I visited the rooftop again, _the tealette mused, inattentively doodling misshapen little spring onions along the margin of her notebook. _That reminds me, the one month is up. But we haven't talked about it ever since. The chances of going back to the way things were are next to none, though. I have Luka-chan; Rin-chan has her classmates. Len-kun... well, I suppose he has Shion-kun. Or maybe more like had, with Luka-chan's brother in the picture now?_

Miku lightly shook her head in an attempt to shoo away the memories of her visit from a few days ago that threatened to resurface. As those pesky thoughts had done all too often with each passing day since; it was an experience that she wasn't about to forget any time soon, much to her discontentment. _To the rooftop it is. No chance of clumsily bumping into anyone up there,_ she decided.

* * *

After class was over, Miku slowly made her way through the halls and across the school grounds to the cafeteria, paying extra attention to her surroundings. The additional concentration did the trick: she spotted Kaito from afar and kept her eyes on him so as to avoid the unwanted meeting. At the same time, she kept herself out of his line of vision. The tealette didn't want to risk him noticing her, for fear of... well, she wasn't sure of that herself.

At last, she reached the staircase leading up to the rooftop with her lunch in hand. She skipped up on the steps and arrived at the large, grey door in a matter of seconds. It was already slightly ajar: a sure sign that someone was there. Still in Super Sneaky Miku Mode, she peeked out through the opening to ascertain the person's identity.

The usual pleasant breeze toyed around with the messy, blond ponytail of the youth sitting with his back to the door. He was preoccupied with adjusting the tuning pegs of the acoustic guitar he was holding. _Len-kun...Were you always here during lunch time? That would explain why I haven't seen you around, _she pondered.

The sight of his figure from behind instilled a nostalgic feeling in the girl. _It was something like this, on that day, too. Just the two of us. It's a bit hard to believe that over a year has passed by now... _She closed her eyes in reminiscence, leaning against the wall.

* * *

_Valentine's Day: the modern holiday fixated on the concept of love; the time of the year when it's more likely to get a confession than to catch a case of the common cold. Obligatory chocolates, friendship chocolates and sweetheart chocolates; store-bought chocolates and handmade chocolates: with such a variety, in tastes and types as well, misunderstandings are bound to happen. _

_Oh, what a misunderstanding it became! I was at fault, really. I took it too seriously. Rather than making the mistake of not giving something special enough, I gave something too special. It was way too early for such extravagant handmade chocolates. After all, we hadn't even known each other for a year yet. _

_I just wanted to express how important they were to me! That our fresh friendship was something I treasured. Even after all that happened, I think it still would've been worse if plain, store-bought obligatory chocolates were the cause of a problem. _

_Thankfully, Rin-chan received the right message. With that sweet tooth of hers, her stomach did the thinking for her. She was just happy enough to get a sugar bomb first thing in the morning. "Thanks Miku-chan! These chocolates are delicious, you're an awesome friend!" was her reaction it, hugging me tightly. And I must say, she has quite the knowledge about quality brands, since her friendship chocolates were scrumptious as well. _

_I think that's where I made the fatal mistake. I gave them the chocolates separately. At the time, it seemed logical: why should I carry Rin-chan's package with me if I could just give it to her right away? Pure laziness sure is a force to be reckoned with._

_Then again, that in itself might not have caused the catastrophe. I could've still saved the situation. When Rin-chan gave her chocolates to Len-kun, I could've used that as my chance. But it felt wrong to me to intrude on their twin moment by handing over mine at the same time. That overjoyed smile of his belonged to no one other than his sister. _

_The third component to the disaster was my own forgetfulness. It didn't even occur to me to give it to him over lunch; I left the package behind in my schoolbag, in the classroom. That left after school as my only remaining option. _

_But that turned out to be no good, either. When the twins joined me at the school gate in order to walk back to the dormitory, they were in the middle of a heated discussion. Len-kun held a small box in his hands. Undoubtedly, it contained chocolates of the sweetheart kind. He had found it in his shoe-locker. However, there was no name attached to it, so now they were trying to figure out who the sender was. More precisely, Rin-chan was suggesting names and Len-kun was disproving each one. It was a given that I couldn't steal this moment away from the nameless student! That would've been very unfair of me. _

_I was so engrossed in the conversation that it slipped my mind to give my chocolates to him as we parted ways at the dormitory entrance. I only remembered once we were up in our room and I began taking out my belongings from my bag. It was no short of a miracle that the sweets were still mostly intact after getting carried around all day long. I decided it was finally time to get it done and over with. I made my way towards the male section of the dormitory building._

_I was almost at his door when I realized that I could've just waited for him. Most of the time, Rin-chan and Len-kun wrote their homework together in our room. They loved using me as their Omniscient Encyclopaedia of Knowledge, too. But it was a little too late for that realization. He opened the door and stepped out just as I came to a halt in front of it. _

"_What is it, Miku-chan?" he asked in surprise._

"_Happy Valentine's Day, Len-kun!" I announced as I extended my arms toward him, presenting the nicely-wrapped package of chocolates with a bright smile on my face. _

"_Ee-eeh? For me?" he wondered, with a hint of disbelief in his voice as he pointed a finger towards himself. I nodded in affirmation._

"_Th-thanks, Miku-chan," he said with a small stammer as he finally took it from my hands. His fingers gently brushed against mine and I think I saw a faint tinge of pink colour his cheeks. _

"_I... forgot something. You... go on ahead, Miku-chan," he stated, his voice faltering on occasion while looking to the side. _

"_Sure. See you in a bit," I replied, still smiling. I turned around and walked back to our room. With a little detour towards the kitchen to grab some snacks, of course. _

_That was probably the last component in creating the misunderstanding. I should've said something to make it clear that they were friendship chocolates, although homemade ones. I should've considered the possibility that his flustered state could be the start of something more than temporary timidity. _

_Unfortunately, I didn't put together the pieces of the puzzle until later. I paid no mind to the changed atmosphere between the three of us. Those looks he began to give me... How he was with us a bit more than usual, which was already a lot... How he was physically closer to me... I was blind to it all, mistaking it as a deepening of our friendship._

_Then, White Day came: the occasion for boys to give presents in return for the girls' chocolates. For Rin-chan, Len-kun bought a bracelet with little orange-shaped charms on it. I received a similar one, but with spring onion charms. And there was a note beside it, asking me to meet him on the rooftop after school. _

_That still didn't sound the emergency bells in my head. Sure, it seemed a bit weird, why it had to be there of all places. But I assumed he had something special planned for Rin-chan and I. _

_As such, I happily headed to our favourite spot once classes ended, anticipating Len-kun's surprise. The door slightly ajar, I knew he was there already. Without a moment of hesitation, I pushed it open and walked out onto the roof. He was standing with his back to the exit, his hands in his pockets as he stared off into the sky. The sound of my footsteps reaching his ears, he turned around to look at me. He looked so unbelievably cute, the warm colors of the sunset accentuating his features. I've been aware of his charm since the moment I had met the twins. They were literally a double dose of adorable. But now, it was a different kind of attractiveness. _

_I quickly glanced around. Rin-chan was nowhere to be seen. Finally, the gravity of the situation dawned upon me, to an extent. Judging from the peculiar mood, something serious was about to go down. I started to feel a little nervous, my heartbeat accelerating accordingly. An awkward silence settled between us as our gazes interlocked. His blue eyes were like gleaming sapphires. So clear, yet so unfathomable. _

"_Thanks for the chocolates," he said, breaking the silence. He took a step towards me, closing the distance between us a bit. "They helped me understand... Miku-chan, I like you." _

_He confessed to me with a great deal of determination in his voice, followed by a sheepish grin and rosy cheeks. It was easily discernible that he had gathered all his courage and strength in order to keep himself from stammering or tripping over his words. True, he kept it concise. But anything longer than that would've been overkill. These simple phrases were just a vessel for the emotions. Those emotions, however, arrived loud and clear in their entirety. No heart could've stayed unsoftened from such a sincere display. I came dangerously close to falling deeply in love with him right then and there because of it. _

_For a moment, I wasn't sure if I had heard it right, my eyes widening from the surprise. I had to mentally stop my jaw from dropping. In a second, the entire picture came together. Everything made perfect sense. And I cursed myself for being completely oblivious to it up until that moment. Even more so for being the core of it. I created it and as such, I had to end it as well, while I still could with minimized hurt. I had to save our friendship, keep things the way they were in our trio. _

_Besides, I can't go out with my roommate-slash-friend's brother. That would be the very definition of awkward right there. Especially if perchance things take a turn for the worse and we break up. Not to mention that he's two years younger than me. At our age, that still counts for a lot. I just couldn't see it working out, no matter how I looked at it. _

"_Thank you for conveying your feelings to me, but I'm sorry, Len-kun. This misunderstanding is entirely my fault," I explained to him. I took a step backwards and bowed down in accompaniment to my apology. _

_As I straightened myself, guilt welled up inside me, constricting my heart with pain, upon seeing his expression. The faint shade of pink remained, but paired with lips tightening into a straight, thin line and a distant, dejected look in his eyes. I felt like the worst human being in the Universe. I wanted to take back my words and say that it was just a mean joke; I wanted to repair his shattered smile. Yet I knew that such a lie would only hurt him more and that I've hurt him enough already as it is. I had to make things better again with utmost care._

_He genuinely looked like a little boy in need of a warm hug. Before I knew it, my feet were leading me to him and I was by his side. My arms gently wrapped around his petite body. I could sense that his heart rate was just about skyrocketing. Following his initial bafflement, I felt him cautiously put his arms on my back._

"_Len-kun, I'm sorry," I repeated my words from a moment ago. "I'm to blame for your confusion. To 'like' someone is a very complicated emotion, with many different sides." I paused, trying to arrange my thoughts properly. All the romantic movies I've seen, all the romantic anime I watched, all the romantic books and manga I've read: thank you. You have proven to be useful, giving an inexperienced girl like me a decent set of tracks for my train of thought to reach its destination of rescuing this friendship. _

"_Saying 'I don't like you' wouldn't be truth. Because I do. But, not in the way you think I do. My 'like' for you is the type between friends. That's why I made that kind of chocolates. To show how much I care. How important you are to me. And not just you; Rin-chan, too. I gave her the same ones. The two of you are the best friends I could ever wish for. That's the kind of feeling I wanted to convey. Perhaps, this is more than just friendship." _

_As I was explaining the situation to him, I was re-evaluating it at the same time. I wasn't so certain about my feelings anymore. Labelling it 'friendship' was inadequate, a sheer insult._

"_Rather than my friends, the two of you are like... siblings to me. Yeah, that's it. I get the impression sometimes that I'm an elder sister to you and Rin-chan. This kind of 'like' is one that can't grow into 'love' in a romantic sense." I found my answer. To a question I didn't even recall asking. _

"_We're still young; simple adolescents. You're still in middle school and I'm only at the end of my first year of high school. Figuring out the 'likes' and 'loves' we feel towards the people around us isn't easy and it's only natural that we confound one for the other. One isn't worse, or any less, than the other; they're just different, yet similar to a point." I stopped, letting him process the information. I was barely making sense to myself; I could only imagine how much harder it was for him to comprehend. _

"_Len-kun, if you think it over carefully, which 'like' is it that you feel for me?" It was his turn to find an answer. For the sake of us all, I hoped it would be the same as mine. In fact, it wouldn't hurt to point him in the right direction. I broke out of the hug, instead placing my hands on his shoulders and staring directly into his eyes. I smiled in encouragement. "Doesn't it resemble the 'like' you feel for your sister?"_

"_I... guess so..." he replied after pondering it over, casting his eyes to the side. "Because after you gave me the chocolates, it didn't feel like a new 'like' to me. It was probably there since a while already, but it was only then that I acknowledged its existence. What you said... sounds reasonable. I over-exaggerated a 'sibling like' in my mind. I'm sorry, too, for troubling you." _

"_It's okay, because we managed to clear up this misunderstanding in the end," I reassured him. _

_The cheerful smile returned to his face. I was so happy to see it in its original brilliance. Happy to the point where I involuntarily hugged him again. He had no complaints against it and reciprocated the motion. _

"_You'll always be a brother to me, Len-kun. You can always count on me as a sister," I informed him. He nodded in agreement._

"_In that case... may I have two requests?" he enquired, breaking free of the embrace. _

"_I just said so, didn't I? Go on," I urged him on, living up to my earlier promise._

"_First of all, I don't want Rin-chan to know," he revealed, looking down at his feet. "She might try something weird. But I don't want anything to change."_

"_All right, I won't tell Rin-chan," I complied. "The other request?"_

"_Just this one time, would you..." he hesitated before continuing, once again returning his gaze to mine. There it was again, the expression begging for a hug. I managed to resist the temptation this time around. I had a feeling that he wouldn't have appreciated my interference with the reveal of his important wish. "...sing with me? A secret duet, for just the two of us." _

"_Of course I would!" I replied automatically, my lips spreading into a smile full of enthusiasm. "You don't even have to ask." _

_That's how 'Kimi no Sekai Boku no Sekai' was born, a few weeks later. He came up with the melody, the lyrics, everything. I just gave my voice to it, in perfect harmony with his. It was an amazing duet. It served as proper closure, for the both of us. It's pretty misleading to call it such, but in a sense, it was our first love. Despite the fact that it ended before it even began. _

_Afterwards, everything went as normal. I don't know if he deliberately hid it or not, but I couldn't sense any kind of awkwardness in the days that followed. Even when we sang a version of 'Kimi Ijou, Boku Miman' together for an assignment, it didn't seem to cause him any discomfort. Quite on the contrary, we really enjoyed ourselves while recording it. _

_He wasn't right about nothing changing, though. Weird as it may be, but I think that this little secret of ours happened to strengthen our mixed bond of non-related siblinghood and friendship._

* * *

Miku opened her eyes once her reminiscing came to an end. She was too caught up in her thoughts earlier to notice that Len had begun playing a song on his guitar. It was probably a new composition: she would've surely remembered such a melody. The rhythm was nice and steady, with a bit of bittersweet melancholy to it. His soft and gentle voice was mesmerizing, smoothly fitting with the tune. The tealette soon found herself bobbing her head along to it.

"Ano egao ga mada, boku wo kurushimerunda..." he sang the final lines of the song, finishing with a short guitar solo.

She chose that moment to bring her presence to his attention. She pushed the door open enough for her to pass through it.

"Hi, Len-kun," she greeted him merrily. Her voice startled him, his back straightened as he turned around to look at her.

"Hey, Miku-chan. What brings you here?" he asked, the surprise audible in his tone. She walked over and sat down opposite of him.

"Just felt like it," she replied with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. "What about you?"

"Obviously, to eat lunch. And practice in peace," he answered. Becoming conscious of the implication of his response, he quickly added, "but I don't mind if you're here."

"Oh, what an honour you have bestowed upon me, Len-sama," she replied cheekily, flicking her hand out in a dramatic motion. "To permit such a preposterous thing as me visiting our usual hangout place!"

"Yeah, treasure this opportunity well, for you may not be so lucky next time, Miku-chan," he continued the teasing, ending his sentence with a hearty chuckle.

"Then, play that song again," she requested, an eager smile appearing on her face as she pointed at the several sheets of music lying in front of him.

"No," Len scoffed, rejecting her without a moment's doubt.

"Aaaawww, why not?" Miku began to complain, tilting her head to the side. "It's a great song; I want to hear it again."

"Because I said so," he reasoned. It wasn't nearly enough to convince his friend.

"Please, Len-kun? Since I've heard it partially already, it doesn't matter if I hear it again in full," she explained. He let out a deep sigh as a sign of his surrender.

"Bah, fine. But just one more time, all right? And no negotiating on that," he told her. She willingly nodded her head in compliance to his terms.

He started strumming on the guitar again, the enchanting melody resonating in the air. This time around, she properly paid attention to the lyrics as well. The words complemented the tune well, strengthening the bittersweet effect.

"Ne, Len-kun, what's the title of the song?" Miku asked, once the last note faded away.

"It's called 'orange'. Real creative, I know," he commented with a hint of sarcasm.

"And so painfully obvious," she added, shaking her head in pity. "Even _I _could tell and that's saying something."

"E-eh? What are you talking about?" he wondered, unsuccessfully attempting to feign innocence.

"More like, _who _are_ you _talking about in the song? It's Rin-chan, isn't it?" the tealette asked him directly. "No doubt about it. You miss her, don't you?"

"Well, just a little, itsy-bitsy, teeny-tiny bit," he answered, shifting his gaze from side to side.

"Yeah right, and the Earth is flat, with the Sun revolving around it," she retorted, rolling her eyes.

"I thought you knew at least the basics of astronomy. Guess not," he commented with a smirk. At a momentary loss for words, she merely glared daggers at him.

"By what standards does writing an emotional song like that count as missing her 'a little'? What would you do if it was 'a lot'? Build her a monument?" she inquired with raised eyebrows, in order to prove her point.

"Geh, no, that'd creep her out," Len explained, a scowl forming on his face. "And then she'd spend less time with m-... us."

"Yeah. She sure has been with her classmates a lot lately," she stated, taking a mental note of his almost-slip-up at the same time. "But this is good for her. It'd be worse if she were an outcast in her class, no?"

"Yeah, but... Out of all her classmates, does it _have_ to be Utatane?" he voiced his main complaint, his scowl becoming ever fiercer. "Even the girls in my class are all over that freak. I swear I'd break that annoying face of his if it means that they'd shut the heck up about him already."

"My, my, Len-kun, from this angle, your complexion looks absolutely green. With jealousy," Miku sniggered, amused by her own witty remark.

"I'm her brother, I have every right to be," he claimed with confidence.

"Then how do you plan on dealing with it, brother almighty?" she asked out of pure curiosity.

"Exactly the problem. I can't do anything without hurting Rin in the process," he admitted with a sigh, yet still scowling. "I've no choice but to tolerate that she's slowly drifting away, leaving us behind while she moves on."

In an attempt to bring an end to the discussion, Len zipped open his black guitar bag and delicately placed the instrument inside it. As he was ranging the papers, his expression began to change. A brush of pink appeared on his features while his lips formed a thin line and his eyes seemed to stare into the past.

_There it is: the face that just screams 'hug me' and melts every heart nearby, _Miku recognized it, sensing its effects without delay. She quickly gave up on resisting against her instincts. She leaned forward and enveloped him in a warm embrace.

"H-huh?" he asked in puzzlement, resting immobile in her arms.

"Don't you 'huh' me. You were the one asking for it," she replied, not intending to let go of him just yet.

"You're not making any sense," he stated. "I never said anything of the sort."

"Well, yeah, you didn't say it with words," the tealette clarified as she finally released him from her hold and sat back into her initial position. "It was that expression! Len-kun, just so you know, you've got a lethal weapon in your hands. I mean, on your face. Well, it _is _your face."

"What the heck are you talking about?" the boy posed the question sceptically.

"You know, the expression you were making a minute ago. Not yet blushing, but almost there, your lips firmly pressed together and your eyes spacing out into sadness," she described it to him, counting the telltale signs on her fingers. "If you were to show that face to Rin-chan, I'm sure she'd never consider leaving your side again."

"That's one of the stupidest ideas I've ever heard," he harshly stated.

"All right, maybe I exaggerated it a little," she admitted. "I suppose she has already encountered it on more than one occasion, ne?"

"I don't know, actually. I don't think I usually feel the need to make such a face when I'm with her," he mused. "And I intend to keep it that way."

"Suit yourself. But at least now you know about it," she pointed out.

"Hey wait, how did _you_ know about it?" he demanded. "Do I make that expression so often?"

"Nope, I wouldn't say that. This was roughly the second time I saw it?" she said, half asking and half replying in uncertainty. _Not to mention that I was remembering it just a short while ago, _she added to herself.

"When was the first ti-... Ohh..." he cut himself off in mid-sentence as the realization hit him. He nervously scratched the back of his head, forcing his mouth into a clumsy grin. "So, uhm, what are we having for dinner tonight?"

Miku went along with the changed direction of the conversation. After all, they had treaded onto unsafe territory. _This was pretty much the closest we got to bringing it up since that day,_ she noted to herself. _It's still not easy to talk about it, but not so uncomfortable either. I'm glad he didn't get stuck in it and put it behind him instead, for the most part. _

They avoided their initial topic for the rest of the lunch break. It was almost like the good old days, other than the absence of Rin.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I don't own any of the songs mentioned throughout the chapter. "Kimi no Sekai Boku no Sekai" belongs to Amyu (fatP), the NND code is sm10333339. "Kimi Ijou, Boku Miman" belongs to DECO*27, the NND code is sm8298201, the Len cover's code is sm10350599 and their duet version's code is sm10546644. "orange" belongs to ShounenT, the NND code is sm13926857.

So yeah, this chapter marks the introduction of song inserts ^^ In a way, this story is like one, huge, crossover songfic xD I haven't forgotten that they're at the Academy for their musical talents :)


	7. Chapter 7

The airport: a gateway to adventure. The place where a journey begins, and also where it ends. The place where countless meetings and partings occur. The crossroads for thousands of paths on a daily basis. For Megurine Luka, it symbolised the commencement of yet another dreamy vacation.

After paying the taxi fare, the pinkette stepped out of the cab and into the late Saturday morning sunlight, sliding her arm through the strap of her flower-print shoulder bag. The cab driver opened up the trunk and handed her luggage, an incredibly colourful duffel bag, to the girl. With eager steps and a bright smile on her face, she made her way to the entrance of the building. The automatic doors opened with the all-too-familiar swoosh as she walked inside.

_Doesn't matter whether it's the States, Europe or Japan, the airport doors always 'swoosh' the same,_ Luka noted to herself nostalgically. _And it's always filled with a whole lot of people._

She was indeed greeted with the usual scene of an airport's main hall. Long queues of tourists, businessmen and vacationing families snaked from the check-in stations, generating a basic level of noise alongside the various announcements booming from overhead.

Rather than joining the line-ups, she ambled across the hall, all the while scouring the crowd for a certain familiar face, to one of the sitting areas. This particular one had a sculpture placed in the middle of it for decorative purposes. It was an amorphous figure, boasting of just as many curves as sharp edges, with parts standing out in all directions. The base color was a pearly white, adorned with black lines of various thickness, shape and size. The abstract modernity of the creation was contrasted by the plain wooden benches circling around it; some of them occupied, some of them not.

The pinkette placed her baggage onto an empty bench the nearest to her and took a seat. She sent a scrutinizing look towards the sculpture, acquainting herself with the details of it. She tilted her head and leaned her body to the left, hoping the new angle would give some meaning to the peculiar creation before her eyes. It didn't. However, she did spot something else of interest, on the other side of the sculpture.

A person was sitting on the bench, reading a newspaper. It was one of those traditional papers that were completely in black and white, without any illustrations and were pretty big when unfolded, enough to completely cover you from view; exactly like in the movies. All Luka could see was a black fedora hat peeking out above the paper. She chuckled in amusement.

She stood up from the bench and coughed into her fist, replacing her joyful expression with a poker face. She sauntered towards the suspicious individual, carrying her baggage in hand. A pair of designer shoes and stylish black pants came into view, with a dark navy blue trolley case standing by the bench; without a doubt, owned by a young man. She came to a halt directly in front of him, at a few steps' distance. Black sunglasses were barely visible past the top of the newspaper.

"Excuse me, sir?" Luka called out to him, purposefully using a polite and innocent tone. He raised his head hardly discernibly, making sure that the newspaper still kept his visage hidden.

"How may I be of service to you, Miss?" he inquired, of equal politeness.

"You seem to have been waiting here for a while now," she began to explain, twirling a strand of her cotton candy pink hair around her finger, "and I was hoping that you could tell me if you've seen my acquaintance pass by."

"It'd be my pleasure to be of assistance to you, Miss. What are the defining features of your acquaintance?" he asked, relentlessly shielding his face with the newspaper.

"Let's see... He's a little bit taller than average height and looks to be about twenty. He's probably carrying a dark navy blue trolley case..." Her gaze wandered over to the one standing by the bench.

"I'd figure that he's wearing sophisticated-looking clothes, like a businessman. Designer shoes, stylish black pants, that sort of thing. Sunglasses, too, even though he's indoors," she added, trailing her gaze along the mysterious man's garments.

"But what stands out the most," Luka paused as she promptly sat down beside him, while the man remained motionless, "is his long, lavender hair that he tries to keep hidden under a black fedora hat when out in public."

With a swift motion right on cue, she grabbed his hat and removed it from his head, letting a messy, braided ponytail of lavender hair cascade down his back. Accompanied by a lively chortle, he set the newspaper aside and took off his sunglasses.

"Well played, Luka," he complimented her, finally turning to face the girl. Azure eyes connected with sapphire orbs, conveying more emotions in that single moment than a thousand words ever could.

"Not too shabby yourself, Gakkun," she returned the praise, breaking into a smile. "I almost didn't notice you this time. But the setup itself was a dead giveaway."

Before he could object to the statement, she brought her lips to his in a sweet kiss, their eyes slipping closed as they savoured the affectionate contact to its fullest. Much to their regret, they were in a public place, so the kiss had to end sooner than they would've liked it to.

"I missed you so much, my dear Luka." He was the first to speak up, replacing the previous connection by putting his hand over hers and caringly caressing it with his thumb as he looked into her eyes once more. The simple phrase was enough to bring her cheeks a shade closer to the colour of her hair.

"Don't be silly, we talked on the phone just last night," she chided him, keeping eye contact.

"You know how I meant it," he clarified. He looked away from her before continuing, feigning a hurt expression. "Though I suppose I am merely an acquaintance to you."

The pinkette burst out in laughter, weakly punching him in the arm with her free hand. _I missed you, too, my dear idiot._

"Indeed, an acquaintance," she went along with the tease for a little bit longer. "A very close acquaintance of my heart, that is. Calling you my boyfriend just wouldn't do it justice."

He chuckled in response, reverting his gaze to her lovely face adorned with a huge smile. "Nice save."

"Hey, shouldn't we get in line to check in soon?" Luka asked after a brief silence.

"Oh, no need to worry. There has been a minor change of plans. We won't be taking a charter flight, nor will we be going to the Kurokawa Onsen," he told her calmly.

Luka's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing the unexpected announcement. After the initial shock had passed, she raised her eyebrows sceptically. "Explain yourself, mister."

"Fear not, we're still going on vacation. Due to various circumstances, I ended up switching destinations with my producer. We're going to his personal vacation house, coincidentally also located near a hot spring. His private jet shall serve as our transportation," he clarified the details.

"Ah, one of the many perks of being Kamui Gakupo, the new rock star sensation," she commented, rewarding him with a kiss on the cheek. It succeeded in conjuring a soft pink onto his complexion.

"Regardless, we should head off soon. We wouldn't want to waste a minute of our vacation together," he declared. Luka nodded in agreement.

Gakupo put the fedora back onto his head, once again concealing his lavender locks. Luka used the chance to stand up from the bench and pick up her luggage before he could take it. He took note of the motion, but opted against offering to carry it for her. She wasn't the type to be treated like a princess... for everyone to see. He got to his feet as well and grabbed hold of his baggage, while he slipped his free hand into hers. Together, they merged into the flow of people.

* * *

"You look like an octopus," Gakupo voiced his recent discovery with serenity and in complete seriousness as he looked down at the girl cradled in his muscular arms.

"Excuse me?" Luka snapped back, not entirely sure if she should take the observation as an insult or a compliment, slightly pulling away from him.

A strained silence settled in between the lovers. Nature's orchestra, with the grasshoppers' evening tune and the gurgling waters of the hot spring, only served to elevate the tension in the air. It was a medium-sized pool of water, circled by rocks of various size and shape, though they were sitting in a partially enclosed area of it.

"Since when are octopi pink?" she wondered, in a somewhat incredulous tone.

"Ah, no, it's not the color," he commenced his explanation, taking a tuft of her hair into his hand and playing around with it.

Gakupo had put a lot of thought into the matter. Night after night spent in the soothing waters of the hot spring, he pondered on the strange familiarity of Luka's features. Certainly, he had spent years watching the girl, etching every detail of her being into his mind. However, there was just something different about her in this environment. It took him almost a week, but he had finally realized the resemblance.

"Though I suppose an octopus could turn pink, if properly flattered," he added as an afterthought.

"Oh, I'll show you pink... crimson, even," she threatened him, adding emphasis to her words by raising a fist.

"No need for that," he calmed her with a lopsided grin, placing his hands over hers. "It's how the tufts bear a likeness to tentacles. Adorable, puffy tentacles."

_Ah yes, he's my idiot all right,_ the pinkette reminded herself in thought. She came close to erupting in giggles, but managed to restrain herself for a while longer. _Let's see just how octopus-like he makes me out to be._

"Go on," she encouraged him, looking up at him eagerly.

"And your eyes!" he exclaimed, giving her a small scare. "They bulge out a little bit and seem a tad too big for your head, especially with that expression. Very adorably, might I add."

Her face froze into said expression, unable to decide on how to react to that last statement. _Or maybe I shouldn't let him continue. I'll beat him up that much worse in the end, _she mused.

"And so, I shall henceforth call you Tako Luka," he announced in a ceremonious tone. He beamed with delight from his genius idea.

She could stand it no more: she plummeted into uncontrollable laughter, partially out of amusement and partially out of desperation, bordering on maniacal. It's not every day that your boyfriend sweet-talks you by comparing you with a sea creature. A generally ugly and creepy one, to boot. And strangely manages to sound romantic despite it all!

Gakupo stared at the hysterical girl, dumbfounded. Worry began to slink into his eyes when she had not stopped laughing after several minutes; had she gone insane for good? At that precise moment, her laughs came to a halt and she regained her composure. He let out a sigh of relief.

"If that's the case, then Tako Luka's going to eat your face now," she declared with an entirely serious expression.

True to her word, the pinkette slapped her palms onto his cheeks and swooped in to take possession of his lips.

* * *

The days passed by in too rapid of a succession. It seemed like they had only barely arrived and made themselves comfortable in the vacation house when the last night was already upon them.

Luka leaned on the wooden railing of the balcony, resting her head in the palm of her hand as she gazed up at the countless sparkly stars of the deep blue sky. A gentle breeze swayed the light fabric of the maroon yukata she was wearing and played with the few strands of her hair that escaped from the bun she had styled it into. The magical moment only lacked one thing: however, it was well in her capabilities to remedy the situation.

"_Usubeniiro ni somaru, kaerimichi ni kimi omou,  
Arukinareta kawara ni wa, setsunasa hakobu haru no kaze,  
Hanarete sugiru hibi no naka, omoide ni tachitomari,  
Haru no yozora miagereba, onaji hoshi mite nani omou,  
Hana moyauyau ike no hotori,  
Uta koso nahookashiki mono nare,  
Haru no yoru no yami wa ayanashi,  
Yume niya miyuran kimi koishi."_

The wind carried her clear voice and pure feelings over the treetops and across the mountains as the song continued. As the last syllables resounded into the night, warm hands curled around her waist and enveloped her in a gentle embrace.

"Every time I hear you singing, it makes me fall in love with you all over again," Gakupo whispered into her ear, his tone laden with emotion. A warm, fuzzy feeling bloomed in her heart from his deep, velvety voice.

"Thank you for bringing me here. This is a magnificent spot and I enjoyed every minute of our vacation," she told him, letting out a wistful sigh. "I wish we could stay another week."

"I'd love to stay as well, here, with you. Alas, the dream has to end and we must return to our lives again until next time," he put the harsh truth into words. "You have your brother to take care of now. You've been hiding it well, but I know you're worried about him."

"Of course, that's a given. We spend a decade apart without really keeping in touch and then he suddenly becomes my complete responsibility. How could I not worry?" she suddenly began to pour out her anxieties. "But I have to trust him, that Daddy raised him properly. And I couldn't have stood the thought of not seeing you."

"You'll see him tomorrow, and I'm sure he's doing just fine. Have you heard any news from him?" Gakupo inquired, hugging her tightly in comfort.

"From him personally, no. But I expected that... So I asked Miku-chan to check up on him before I left, and she sent me a text a couple of days ago that he's doing okay," Luka informed him. "Well, the house is standing, at least."

"Then you have nothing to fret over," he concluded. "With time, he'll open up to you. It was just as sudden a change for him as it was for you... All he needs is a bit of space to get used to it. In the mean time, I know you'll take excellent care of him."

"I suppose you're right. Let's enjoy our last night together, ne?" she suggested, turning around to look at him, a coy smile appearing on her lips.

"I have no objections to that," he acquiesced, kissing her on the forehead.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Luka's song is called Kimi Koishi, and belongs to EasyPop (BETTI), the NND code is nm9325841.

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the long wait, everyone! The next chapter's going to come sooner, I promise xD  
I forgot to mention it in the previous chapter, but Len's certain expression is one the Nendoroid expressions, and I have my friend to thank for inspiring me with it ^^  
This chapter is dedicated to my faithful proofreader, Sakagami Hina. All you GakuLuka fans can thank her for suggesting that I write about their vacation =)  
Also, a huge thanks to the people who reviewed! Even if I don't always reply, it makes me happy to hear your feedback =) I obviously enjoy writing my own story, so it's nice to know that others are enjoying it, too ^^


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** As promised, a faster update than before :D Thank you to everyone taking the time to read it :)

* * *

One by one, the days of spring passed by until it was already the middle of May. The clear, sunny weather of April felt like a fading memory, in comparison to the frequent rain showers and the gray clouds that never seemed to stray from the sky anymore. The dreary pitter-patter of the raindrops on the windows mingled with the school bell's echoes through the building, dismissing the students for the day.

"Aw great, it started up again just as we're about to go home," Luka complained with a disgruntled look on her face, partially directing the comment towards Miku as they were putting their belongings away. "I forgot my umbrella, too."

"Good thing I have to stay after school today," the tealette commented. "Gumi-sensei's finally called us together for a counselling meeting. You can borrow mine, by the way. I'll be going home with Rin-chan and Len-kun, one of them is bound to have an umbrella."

"Ahh, lucky you. My turn's only tomorrow. The music teachers must be planning something huge if it took them almost two months to get it ready," she reasoned. "It's kinda funny how I came here with the music scholarship and haven't actually spent much time with my assigned teacher yet. And it's okay, this much rain is no big deal."

"All right then. Well, at least we both have Gumi-sensei, even though it's Wednesdays for me and Thursdays for you. But I'll call you tonight and tell you all about this secret project, okay?" her friend suggested with a smile.

"Thanks, Miku-chan! The curiosity's killing me already..." the pinkette told her, adding a deep sigh to the end of her sentence. "I guess I'll get going before it gets any worse. Talk to you later!"

Luka strode towards the classroom's door, waving to the girl as she left. Miku returned the gesture and then continued her packing. She was in no rush to leave, since she had a good twenty minutes to spare before the meeting. More importantly, she had a reason to stall for a while: a person to avoid at all costs.

Two weeks had passed since the embarrassing incident with Shion Kaito, but Miku was still as distraught as ever about it. She would always be alert, constantly searching for the blue-haired boy with her eyes. When she did notice him, her gaze never wavered until he was no longer in sight and she kept herself at a good distance so as to avoid actual eye contact with him. And each time she saw him, the entire incident replayed itself in her mind.

Honestly, she would've preferred to completely erase it from her memory. But if she didn't make an effort to avoid him, she'd surely bump into him again, and that would be much more unpleasant than being incessantly reminded of it. There was no winning in her situation, she had to realize. And it's not like she was actually a tiny bit happy to see him, or anything.

"I'm so ridiculous," she muttered to herself, arranging the things in her bag for a second time around. She glanced up at the clock: no more than five minutes had passed since the chime. The classroom was almost empty, excluding a group of students conversing near the front. _Oh, who cares, it's not like I can hide forever!_

Guided by the sudden surge of determination, the tealette grabbed her bag and headed to the door. She came to an abrupt halt right before stepping out into the hallway. _But better safe than sorry, _she added. She poked her head out, diligently looking both ways in order to make sure that the coast was clear.

That wasn't entirely the case. Instead, a slightly surprising sight awaited her. In front of 1-B's classroom, she immediately spied the familiar shade of blue. His schoolbag casually slung over his shoulder, he was talking with someone. Miku grabbed onto the doorframe, for fear of losing her balance otherwise. That someone was Luka. Shortly afterwards, the two of them began to head down the hallway to the staircase, as if they were leaving school together.

_Wait, what, huh?_ The thoughts became a jumbled mess in her head. _Luka-chan_ knows _Se Ta- I mean, Shion-kun? Then, it would've been fine for me to mention that he was with her brother during Golden Week? But maybe things aren't that simple..._ she began to theorize as she stepped out onto the hallway, Luka and Kaito now completely out of sight.

_Oh gosh, I totally know what's going. This is an elaborately tangled love polygon of sorts. Shion-kun's going out with Luka's brother. And she's totally cool with it, because she's an easygoing older sister and figures that such a display of trust will aid in mending the damaged bond between the siblings. However, as he spends more and more time at their place, being a healthy teenage boy and all, he can't help but feel attracted to such a fine specimen of the female species as Luka. At first, she resists; she has Gakkun, after all. He continues his advances, considering it a personal challenge already. All it takes is one little fight over the phone for her to feel lonely and neglected by her boyfriend she rarely gets to see. Her defences crumbled to pieces, that's the moment he chooses to conquer her! It's the start of a forbidden relationship, both of them cheating on their loved ones because they simply cannot control their lusty desires. _

As the tale came to an end in her mind, Miku had a spontaneous urge to bash her head against a wall. _I scare myself sometimes,_ she concluded. _They wouldn't be so careless as to meet up at school like that... I mean, no, Luka's not that kind of person! And, well, Shion-kun doesn't seem like the unfaithful type, either. His deep blue eyes are too kind to belong to a horrible person. _

* * *

Lost in her musings, she hadn't even noticed that her legs had involuntarily taken her straight to the music room on the second floor of the high school section's club room building. All of a sudden, she felt two hands land on her shoulders, bringing the tealette out of her reverie.

"Miku-chan!" the unmistakeable voices of the Kagamine twins reached her ears from both sides.

"Oh, Rin-chan, Len-kun, hi," she greeted them, still a bit dazed.

"Didn't you hear us? We've been calling your name for ages and you just kept walking straight ahead like a zombie... Right, Len-nii?" the blonde asked her brother for confirmation, who complied with a nod.

"Oops, sorry, I was spacing out a bit," she apologised, her fisted hand lightly bonking her head.

"Oooohhh, is a certain someone on your mind?" Rin wondered in a teasing manner, a broad grin adorning her features.

"Pf, of course not," Miku scoffed in reply. "Anyways, let's head on inside."

Cutting the discussion short, the older girl opened the door to the music room and walked in, the twins following behind her.

Kaion Academy's music rooms were all very well equipped and properly maintained; at first glance, you wouldn't be able to tell which one you were in, exactly. The various cased instruments (like flutes, clarinets, violins, guitars and so on) were stored inside the closets spanning from wall to wall, while the bigger instruments (such as the drum set and the piano) were placed in the most acoustically suitable part of the room. On a raised podium, a few rows of chairs and sheet stands were set out for the students. There was also a wheeled blackboard among the equipment, and a computer on the teacher's desk. To lighten the mood, the walls were painted with colourful musical notes, differing in type and size.

When the trio entered, a couple of other students were already inside, chatting amongst themselves. Generally, an advising teacher was in charge of about a dozen groups; as such, they usually held counselling meetings for two or three groups at a time. They took their seats a short distance away from them, with Rin sitting between Miku and Len. A few minutes remained before the meeting was supposed to start.

"Pap-pa-para!" With a lively (yet curiously melodic) shout, Gumi burst through the door, her right hand raised high into the air while she held a large pile of papers with the other. She flashed a wide, friendly smile to her pupils as she scurried over to the teacher's desk to place down her load. "Yaahhoo, everyone! It's been a while, huh?"

Amid the Academy's staff, Gumi was perhaps the youngest teacher, being in her early twenties. Without a doubt, she was the bubbliest one, almost literally a condensed package of pure energy and cheerfulness. A pair of red, bug-eye goggles sat upon her head of short, spring green hair. Her vibrant, emerald eyes radiated with liveliness. The extensive variety of yellow and orange garments she usually wore made her look like she was walking sunshine. Despite her carefree demeanour, she was also quite reliable and hard-working, her students always being the top priority.

"I'm really, extremely sorry for delaying everything for so long!" she apologized to them, bowing her head. "But trust me; this wait was entirely worth it! Y'all gonna love what we came up with." She clapped her hands together in excitement, sitting down on the edge of the teacher's desk as she began to rummage through her papers.

"Without further ado," she started to say with a mock-elegant tone, "I present to thee, Kaion Academy's newest innovation for the music program...Oh wait, we need the drum roll," she bonked her forehead with the base of her palm as the realization hit her. Her antics earned a few chuckles from the children.

Gumi got up from the desk and hurried over to the drum set, pulling off the protective cover with a swift motion. She sat down on the stool, setting down the piece of paper in her lap and taking the drumsticks into her hands.

"Ahem, so, without further ado... I present to thee, Kaion Academy's newest innovation for the music program..." Back on track with the gigantic reveal, Gumi played the drum roll noise. Caught in the rhythm, she added an improvisational session to the end of it.

"Gumi-sensei! Concentrate!" the impatient students interrupted her performance with their unanimous shout.

"Yeah, yeah, moving on." She firmly put down the drumsticks and regained her focus, clearing her throat. "Behold, the birth of Kirakira Kaion!"

She took the paper into her hands, showing off the logo to them. As the name implied, sparkles of various size and color were drawn around the black characters. A weak applause and many confused expressions followed the announcement.

"Uhhhm, logo and name subject to change. Seriously. If anyone has a better idea, lemme hear it," Gumi commenced the explanation, standing up from the drum set and heading back to the teacher's desk.

"The basic idea is that we've put together a video sharing site for y'all. It could also be called a musical networking site? Basically, it's gonna be a database for all the songs y'all have made, are making, and will be making," she clarified on the matter. Grasping the situation, enthusiasm spread amongst the students.

"For that to work properly, everyone needs to register a pen name into the system, which is gonna be linked to your student IDs. The instructions for that are right here, along with your personal info that you need to check through," Gumi started on explaining the details, handing out the papers from her desk to them.

"Once the whole student body's registered, which should be by Monday morning at the latest, there's a bunch of stuff the accounts can be used for. You can upload lyrics, singing samples, instrumental tracks and the like," she continued with the specifics. "Then, you can submit it onto the Request Board for someone else to help you complete it and add an illustration or a video to it, even. The finished song's gonna be put up for public viewing, linked to all of the accounts that contributed to it. You can also message people directly to work together. It's also possible to make ties with others that show up on the profile, much like how y'all are in groups right now. The profile doubles as a small blog, where you can decide to update your progress on whatever you're working on at the moment. Oh, and no worries, all your previous songs will automatically be properly tagged, after registration."

"Basically, what we teachers helped y'all with until now, is all gonna get done through Kirakira Kaion. Of course, we'll still give tips and have meetings regularly to work on your actual skills, but the creation process is gonna be a whole lot easier with this," she finished the project's exposition. "So, whatcha think? Way awesome, right?"

"Who managed to convince Honne-sensei to set up something as huge as this? And, how?" Rin piped up, among the many praises coming from the students. Honne Dell was the administrator for the school's computer system, a pretty cranky one at that. He was always 'busy with a lot of work' as he liked to say (and there were many rumours about the nature of his 'work'), so getting him to voluntarily prepare a database of this calibre was nothing short of a miracle. Or, a sign for the apocalypse's arrival.

"That's a sec-ret~," she answered with a devious wink and a mischievous grin, putting her hands on her hips. A round of amused giggles echoed through the music room.

"And that's not the only important news for today," Gumi added. "True to the Academy's traditions, we'll be holding the Midsummer Music Festival about a month from now, on the 21st of June. Kirakira Kaion's gonna make that easier, too, 'cuz that's where you'll be able to sign up. Deadline's the end of May, for both solo and group performances."

"I think that's all the official stuff for today," she declared. "Now, lemme hear what my little birdies sound like, it's really been quite a while!"

* * *

"Urgh, who would've thought that coming up with a pen name is this hard?" Rin grumbled, biting on her bottom lip.

It was Sunday evening of the same week and the trio was in the girls' room, brainstorming ideas together. It was on their minds ever since the meeting, but the deadline was fast approaching and they didn't want to experience Honne-sensei's wrath by missing it. Miku lounged across her own bed, while the twins were sitting on Rin's, each of their laptops in front of them and the registration form opened in a browser window.

"Why not just use our real names, then?" Len suggested. His sister gasped in horror.

"Inconceivable! Preposterous! Blasphemy!" she yelled, waving her hands in the air.

"Do you even know what all those words mean?" he wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I do. I heard them here and there," she replied matter-of-factly, confidently crossing her arms and a smug smirk appearing on her lips.

Miku had a difficult time keeping her giggles to herself. _Yeah, this is just like the good old days._

"Rin-chan, Len-kun, save your flirting for later," she interrupted them, the chance to tease them being just way too excellent to pass up on. The twins' complexion took up an identical shade of bright scarlet; neither dared to say a single word and they both looked in completely opposite directions.

This was much, much more than the tealette could handle. She exploded in laughter, her lungs hardly getting any air. She couldn't contain herself to the point that she began to roll around on her bed, clutching her stomach. Unfortunately for her, the bed had magically gotten smaller than she remembered it to be, and she landed on the floor with a loud thud.

"Hah! Serves you right!" Rin exclaimed mockingly, pointing a finger at the laughing girl on the ground.

"Miku-chan, you okay?" Len asked, with just the tiniest hint of worry in his tone. The tealette couldn't reply, still overwhelmed by her own laughter.

It took a good five minutes for her to finally calm down. It didn't help that the twins just stared blankly at her, which was like fire on the oil when her laughs were just about to die down.

"All right, I'm fine now," she finally declared, reclaiming her spot on her bed.

"Oh! I have an idea!" Rin announced. "Miku-chan, your pen name could be Miss Giggles."

She scrunched her eyes together, sending a scrutinizing look towards the girl. _I'm not sure if that's a joke or a serious suggestion,_ she thought to herself.

"Helloooo, Earth to Miku-chan..." she tried getting her attention, slowly moving her outstretched palm from left to right.

"Rin, that name sucks," her brother bluntly stated. "Is what she'd like to say."

"Well, excuse _me_ for thinking of something, Captain Smarty-pants," she retorted.

"C'mon, you can do better than an overused cliché. But feel free to admit my intellectual superiority anytime you want," he delivered the comeback with a haughty smirk.

The blonde had no immediate reply; instead, she sent him a glare sharper than a thousand daggers. He managed to withstand it for a while. In the end, he was no match for her, as he broke his eyes away from hers, accompanied by a light tinge of pink on his cheeks.

"Bwahahahah," she cackled, a menacing aura emanating from her. "Len-nii, you may always have the last word, but ultimately, _I win._"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," he consented to her declaration of victory. He patted his sister on the head, this time conjuring a blush onto her cheeks.

While the Kagamines were bickering ever so adorably, the tealette simply enjoyed the free amusement, keeping her giggles under control for the most part, so as to not interrupt the show. But there was no way she'd keep herself from adding a teasing comment at the end of it.

"Hey, where can I get the popcorn?" Miku inquired, cocking her head to the side. "Sweet movie, but it's giving me the munchies."

Rin stuck her tongue out at the girl in reply, her antics eliciting a chuckle from Len.

"Anyways, pen names," the tealette turned the conversation back to the original topic. "It has to be something clever, yet defines us perfectly."

"Not to mention short and easy to remember," Len pitched in. Getting tired of sitting, he lay down across Rin's bed. A moment later, she followed suit and used his stomach for a pillow.

_It's like watching dominoes topple, _the tealette noted mentally. _Their synchronization never ceases to amaze me._

In the silence that followed, she let her gaze wander around the room, searching for a sign that would help them come up with names.

"Rin-chan, Len-kun, when you think of me, what's the first thing that comes to mind?" she posed the question that suddenly popped into her head.

"Spring onions," they responded simultaneously after a few seconds of thought, sending chills down her spine. _Amaze _and_ scare me,_ she promptly corrected her earlier statement.

"Calling myself Negi would be a bit short, though," she mused, staring up at the ceiling.

"Then, what do you say to Negihime, perhaps? You're more than qualified to call yourself a princess when it comes to the vegetable," Len developed her notion further.

"That's actually... not half-bad," she admitted. "What do you think, Rin-chan? It doesn't make me sound too conceited, does it?"

"I think it's fine. Better than nothing, at the very least," she contributed her opinion. "What about me?"

"Oranges and bunnies," her brother answered almost instantly.

"Yeah, those," Miku agreed shortly after. "Orange Usagi sounds pretty cute!"

"Mhm, I think it would work," Rin accepted the name with ease. "For Len-nii, it's definitely bananas. But Banana Boy doesn't really cut it. Sheesh, can't you obsess over a fruit with a normal name?"

"Got a problem with bananas?" he snapped back. "They're Nature's perfect creation, I'll have you know. The colour, the flavour, the shape, the size: not a single flaw in any of those areas!"

"Did that even sound right in your head? Len-nii, you pervert," she teased him. An incoherent string of mumbles was his reaction as he covered his face with his hands.

_I missed this. I really missed this,_ Miku's emotions took shape in her mind. _There's rarely a dull moment when I'm with Luka-chan, but being in Rin-chan's and Len-kun's company can't be compared to anything else. I wonder what she feels like when she's with Nekomura-chan and Piko? Does she miss us as much as we miss her? Even now, would she rather be with them?_

A pillow whizzed by the tealette's head, missing it by quite a wide berth. However, the air current was enough to break her out of her thoughts. After a couple of blinks, she saw that the female Kagamine had sat up, her arm stretched out in the final movement of the throw.

"Rin, your aim really sucks," Len commented. "You're at almost point-blank distance and yet you still managed to miss the target."

"You don't say, Captain Obvious," she retorted, jabbing him in the stomach with her elbow. He curled into a ball, groaning. Like the caring friend she is, Miku chuckled upon witnessing his misery.

"Oh, I'm really feeling the love," he muttered, his voice dripping with thick sarcasm. "Why don't you just drop me in the ocean, if all I'm good for is domestic violence?"

"Aaaww, Nii-chan, don't say that," Rin attempted to comfort him. She draped herself over his curled figure, pressing her cheek against his. "Wouldn't you feel sorry for the next guy we'd use as our sandbag?"

"Miku-chan, help, Rin's bullying me," he pleaded, trying to sound like a pathetic and weak victim. "Well, so are you, sort of, but I'm willing to let it go."

"Oh, how kind and generous of you. And wow, took you long enough to notice, Captain Obvious," she remarked, without budging from her bed. "Besides, you brought it upon yourself."

"I came up with both your pen names and this is the gratitude I get?" he moped, letting out a deep sigh.

"For the record, _I _came up with Orange Usagi," Miku corrected him. "You just helped a little bit."

"Isn't a hug enough for gratitude?" Rin asked. From the corner of his eye, he could see her pouting; though he could already hear it in her tone. She began to release him, but he grabbed onto her arm.

"Geh, I give up. I stand no chance when you two join forces," he admitted his defeat. "So, good night!"

With that abrupt declaration, he closed his eyes and made loud, snoring noises on purpose.

"Woah, Len-nii, are you seriously going to sleep here? Like this?" his sister inquired, still on top of him. No reply whatsoever; however, his grip on her arm remained.

"Hey, you don't even have a pen name yet..." Miku tried to coax him into waking up. Still no reaction. Just more snoring noises. "Rin-chan, he hasn't possibly...?"

"Nah, he's faking it for sure," she reassured her. "But we both know he can be stubborn enough to actually fall asleep..."

"At this rate, we'll have to take matters into our own hands and choose a name for him ourselves," the tealette decided. _He won't risk this,_ she added to herself. _He knows we'll pick something super embarrassing, just because we can._

"All right, Pikapika Hikaru Kawaii Shota Nyanko-chan Len-Len-kyun it is," Rin stated. Against all odds, he remained motionless, though the snoring noises had decreased in volume. "Type it in, Miku-chan."

She shot a questioning look towards the blonde girl. Sure, they made an excellent hobby out of teasing the poor boy, but this was bordering on one step too far.

"Yeah," Rin replied determinedly. Contrary to her words, she winked at Miku and carefully mouthed a 'no'. She nodded in understanding, pairing it with a smile. _When push comes to shove, she won't betray his trust._

She stood up from her bed and went to sit down on Rin's, acquiring Len's laptop. _Typing in the joke name is out of the question; but what should it be instead?_ Miku began to ponder, tapping her fingers on the bed.

Minutes passed, but she couldn't think of anything. She was staring off into space when she suddenly felt Rin nudge her with her foot. She turned to her and saw that she managed to shift off of him slightly and was beckoning to her with her other, free arm. The tealette placed the laptop within her reach and waited for her to type in a name.

When Rin was done and she looked at the screen, it felt like her heart was about to melt. _Yellow Knight. That's so sweet. And perfect. _Miku nodded in approval, grinning at her friend.

After submitting his form, Miku also took care of Rin's registration and her own. She turned off the laptops and put them on the desks.

By then, Len had truly fallen asleep in his sister's embrace. His breathing slowed down and the snoring noises ceased. He was wearing a genuinely peaceful expression, clinging to her arm like it was a treasure of immeasurable value.

"Is it okay?" Rin asked, keeping her voice at a whisper. She seemed comfortable enough as well, snuggled up to her brother.

"Yeah, I don't mind," she replied, gently smiling. It was impossible to look at the twins and keep an emotionless face. _Rin-chan, if only you knew how much he misses you!_


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** Wow, 3 chapters in one month... I think that's a record for this story xD With September around the corner, I'll be slowing down again with updates, but I will surely finish this story! Thank you to everyone following it :) Well then, enjoy~

* * *

The harsh reality of a bleak Monday morning crudely barged in on the sleeping adolescents, guised as the irritating beeping of an alarm clock.

Before either Rin or Miku could voice their usual complaints about the unnerving noise, it suddenly ceased paining their ears. They had Len and his quick reaction time to thank for that. Instead, it was replaced by an even more annoying song playing as it switched over to radio mode. Even that ended when he pressed the button again, finally restoring the silence.

"Oh damn."

The words slipped out on their own as he became aware of his current position. Miku peeked out from beneath her fluffy blanket to take a look at Rin's bed. Len's presence was no surprise to her, since last night's events were relatively clear in her mind. On the other hand, it _was_ surprising that he was now lying on top of his twin. _That's definitely not the way I left them last night, _she observed.

Beneath the blank expression he was wearing, many confliction emotions raged in his mind; he wasn't quite sure which of those his face should be portraying at the moment. Bright blue orbs flitted from side to side in uncertainty, but always avoiding Miku's drowsy gaze. His complexion, however, was getting redder by the second. Yet he didn't budge, as his brain was simply unable to fully process what he was experiencing and move his limbs at the same time.

What started out as Rin being a blanket for him, had turned into Len being a teddy bear for her. A very clingy and possessive teddy bear. His leg twisted around hers, similarly to a vine. He had already freed one arm in order to turn off the alarm clock, while his other arm curled around her waist and reached up along her spine. Luckily, above her shirt, not beneath it. There was enough awkwardness in the fact that she was hugging his head to her chest. He could clearly hear her steady heartbeat, which quickened as she started coming to her senses.

"Whaaa-?"

Rin's eyes fluttered open and she peered down at the golden tresses between her fingers. She carefully untangled them from the soft, fluffy mass. Simultaneously, her cheeks began to take up an intense crimson colouring.

"L-Len-nii?"

Hearing her soft voice call out his name in such a frightened tone was what urged his muscles to move. Untwisting his leg and liberating his other arm, he rolled off of her and plopped down onto the floor beside the bed. He was soon in a half-sitting position, supporting himself with his arms.

"I'm sorry, Rin! I swear I didn't do anything! If I did, I didn't mean it!"

He pressed his eyes shut as the repenting shouts tumbled out of his mouth, in a voice that was an octave higher than normal. This was a side of Len that rarely saw the light of day. He pulled his legs up, tightly hugging them with his arms to make himself as small as possible, and buried his face into his knees.

The last remains of sleepiness dissipating, Rin got out of her bed to sit down beside him. She wrapped her arms around her brother's figure, gently cradling him.

"Don't worry, Nii-chan. After all, I was the one who let you sleep in my bed," she attempted to soothe him. "Everything's okay."

_Is Len-kun really the older one? For a change, Rin-chan's acting more like it now,_ Miku noted to herself. It was slightly uncomfortable for the tealette to witness such an intimate moment between the twins; it felt like they were in a separate dimension, more so than what she had become accustomed to over the past few years. Yet she couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene unfolding before her.

"Really?" he asked, lifting his face to look at her with a gaze full of remorse.

"Really," she assured him, even managing to crack a smile, her eyes shining with honesty and trust. She waited for a short while before continuing. "But we have school today, so, you should go back to your room and get ready, okay? We'll meet up at the usual place."

Len nodded in response and mirrored her smile. As of late, his sister had been meeting up with her classmates in the morning instead. This tiny gesture from her was exactly the fragment of happiness that he was currently very much in need of. After one last squeeze, she slowly released him from her embrace and they both got to their feet. He shuffled out of the room with hurried steps.

As the door closed behind him, a relieved sigh left Rin's lips. She looked over to Miku's bed, their gazes meeting. The tealette sat up, puzzlement scrawled all over her face.

"I should explain a bit, huh?" the blonde offered, scratching the back of her head nervously. "I don't know how much you've noticed it before, but... Len-nii's a bit fragile. Honestly, I feel like I should stick a 'Handle with care' sign onto him sometimes."

The comment elicited a few soft chuckles from her. When Rin mentioned his fragility, a sensation of familiarity came over Miku. _The 'hug me' expression... is that when he cracks?_

"So when he breaks, I fix him. And then he goes back to being the usual Len: grumpy, unsocial and sharp-tongued," she began to explain the situation briefly as she crossed her arms, her tone warm and caring. "I must say, he's been holding up really well, because the last time this happened was years ago, before we transferred here. I'm not even sure if he remembers it."

_Not as well as you think, _she countered. _But I can't tell you that. _

"I had no idea..." she uttered the false words without thinking it through. _Why am I lying again? To Rin-chan, my best friend? If she knew how much Len-kun is hurting, that he even went as far as pouring his emotions into a song for her, maybe she wouldn't abandon him to this extent..._

"Anyways, we'd better get ready, too. Mind if I use the bathroom first?" the blonde inquired, pointing to the door.

"Not at all, go ahead," the tealette acquiesced with a friendly smile.

After everything that happened that morning, the previous evening, and since the start of the school year, a single question echoed in her mind. _Is everything... slowly falling apart?_

* * *

On their way to school, Len acted like the events from a short while earlier had never happened; as if he had mysteriously teleported to his own bed and had woken up in his own room, the awkward moment being nothing more than a forgotten dream – a pitch-black hole in his memory. It was just like his twin had said: he returned to being the usual Len. Neither Miku nor Rin brought it up; it wasn't an option to risk breaking him again.

Nevertheless, the tealette was worried about him. _What should I do? What _can_ I do?_ The questions echoed in her mind all throughout the morning classes, yet the answers evaded her. The seconds ticked by at a painstakingly slow pace. Amidst the occasional tapping of her pencil, a folded note landed on her desk. She opened it without even bothering to check if the teacher was looking or not.

**What's up, Miku-chan? You seem pretty out of it today. Did you have a nightmare about zombie seals eating your brains out or something?**

She knew right away that those elegant strokes belonged to Luka. Also, it had become a habit for them to exchange letters during class; it made the day less boring. She had to stifle a giggle while reading it. She glanced to her left and saw a cheery grin on her features. It infectiously brought a meek smile to her own.

**No... Did you? I just have a few things on my mind, that's all. No big deal.**

She tossed the note back to the pinkette. _Here I go again, another lie to a friend. Well, a half-lie. Because it _is_ a big deal. But Luka-chan wouldn't be able to help, anyways. She doesn't really know how things are with me, Rin-chan and Len-kun. _

At that moment, an ingenious idea popped into her head. _Maybe it's time to change that. Luka-chan's eccentricity might have a positive effect on the twins. There's no reason for me to keep my two sets of friends apart anymore; things can't really get any worse from here on out._ The letter soon returned to her desk.

**Nightmare? No. Zombie seals eating brains? No. Fancily dressed seals drinking tea? Yes.  
Just saying, you can tell me what's bothering you, no matter how small. I might not be able to help, but I sure can listen :) **

That brightened her mood right away. It was the first time someone in her class had said something like that to her. The remark at the beginning also played a part in cheering her up.

**Actually, perhaps you can. Sorry for not suggesting it sooner, but, would you like to meet the Kagamines sometime? **

She had to resist facepalming herself as she read over her response. _It makes it way too obvious that there's something wrong. _She quickly erased her scribbled characters and tried to phrase it differently.

**Thanks, Luka-chan. But really, don't worry, it'll sort itself out ^_^ I won't even comment on the seals... Anyways, I just realized something. You haven't met the Kagamines yet! That simply won't do. **

_There, that's better,_ she observed. The message flew back to the pinkette's desk. She could see the excitement and anticipation in her eyes as she read it.

**Yeah, it sure won't! I was considering stalking you all the way back to the dormitory sometime soon, if you weren't going to suggest it yourself. **

The statement brought an amused smile to her face. She could actually imagine Luka going through with that plan.

**We could all go out somewhere on the weekend to have a bit of fun. Your brother can come, too. **

Before she could change her mind about that last phrase, which suddenly wrote itself out from the end of her pencil, Miku folded the note up and passed it back.

Sooner than Luka could write a reply, the bell rang and dismissed them for the lunch break. As they stood up to bow for the teacher, she sneakily showed her a thumbs-up, to convey her consent to the idea.

* * *

The girls decided to eat their lunch in the cafeteria building; considering the dark rainclouds that loomed in the sky, it seemed like it could start raining any minute.

Kaion Academy's cafeteria was befitting of the institution's image and reputation. It was a spacious, three-story building, so as to provide enough space for all the students when the outdoor tables couldn't be used. The lunch period itself was split into two parts: the elementary students came first, while the middle school and high school students shared their lunchtime afterwards. The interior design wasn't anything out of the ordinary: chrome chairs surrounded the circular, chrome tables with white laminate tops. Normally, sunlight flooded the area through the large, floor-to-ceiling windows. A couple of shrubberies were placed here and there, to liven it up a bit. The cooking was nothing to complain about: granted, it couldn't compare to the servings in a 5-star restaurant, but it possessed a tasty flavour and there was a decent variety of meals to choose from.

They had settled down at a table on the ground floor and had begun eating when something caught Miku's eye from her peripheral vision. It was none other than the source of her worries, Len. She quickly excused herself to the toilet (another white lie for the count) and went after him.

"Hey, Len-kun," she called out to him, once she was only a couple of meters away. He turned around, clearly surprised by her sudden appearance as he almost dropped the two canned drinks in his hands.

"Ah, Miku-chan. What is it?" he wondered as she took the last couple of steps toward him.

"Where are you going? To the rooftop?" she replied with a question of her own.

"Actually, no," the blond answered. "Why do you ask?"

"I thought that maybe you could join me and my friend, Luka-chan, for lunch today?" she relayed her sudden idea, covering her unease with a smile. Images of the broken Len from that morning kept appearing in her mind. "Since you've been eating alone, and, yeah."

"Uhm, I'll pass," he stated after a moment of thought. He held up one of the beverages he was carrying: iced coffee. A pout began to form on his lips. "Shion's holding my banana hostage, so I have to tag along with him and buy him a drink. I swear that guy's deranged, beneath all those irritatingly jolly grins."

At the mention of a certain blue-haired male, a soft blush tinted Miku's cheeks. _So he likes iced coffee,_ she mentioned to herself. _And in his own way, he's being kind to Len-kun. Somehow, I can totally imagine Luka-chan doing something odd like that._

"I see. That's good, then," the tealette managed to blurt out. "Good luck with the rescue mission."

"Yeah, thanks. I'll make sure he thinks twice before pulling a similar trick again..." he vowed, his features turning grim. "See you later, Miku-chan."

After an exchange of waves, Len turned around and walked away from her. She stood there for a couple of seconds, watching his retreating figure before she made her way back to Luka.

_Perhaps I really don't need to worry that much. It's taking him a bit longer, but Len-kun's also befriending people other than me and Rin-chan. We're all drifting apart, but to safe seas. Probably. Right?_

* * *

In the days that followed, Miku's thoughts often wandered to the twins and the current state of their friendship. Times were changing. Obviously, these changes weren't all rainbows and sunshine for the trio; far from it.

_We used to get along so well... We used to hang out so much..._

The jumbled up mess in her head was too much to keep bottled in. So, they spilled onto the margin of her notebooks, slowly turning into lyrics. By the end of May, the phrases found their rightful places in verses and moulded together as one.

But the song still lacked a melody and the instruments to bring it to life. However, she didn't lack in people who could help her with that. Especially if she wanted to finish in time to be able to sing it at the Midsummer Music Festival. She desperately needed to, as an attempt to mend the trio's bond.

Luckily for her, she was the only one foolish enough to try composing a song from scratch in less than a month's time and make it presentable. Luka had decided to perform one of her older songs. Despite Miku's relentless efforts to convince him otherwise, Len wasn't going to sing 'orange' as a not-so-hidden message to Rin. As an alternative, she was going to perform a song with him, and another one with Miku.

Before the tealette could seriously get to work on her new piece, she had to check if Gumi-sensei would agree to include an unfinished song in the concert; though, worst comes to worst, she could always perform an earlier one.

She couldn't go empty-handed, so she dragged out the visit until at least the lyrics were complete. Before she knew it, it was already Friday, the last day of the month: the deadline for the concert signups. That afternoon, she headed straight towards the music room once classes had ended.

As soon as Miku entered the club room building, she could feel the tiny, faint tremors signalling that someone was vigorously playing on the drums. Once she arrived on the second floor's hallway, she could pick out the melody, although it was entirely unfamiliar. _Gumi-sensei must be composing a new song,_ she figured.

The tealette strolled to the music room, her steps gaining a bounce as the drumbeat flowed through her veins. By the time she reached the door, her fingers were tapping the rhythm on her thigh. She opened it without hesitation and walked inside.

"Hi, Gumi-sensei," she began to greet her teacher. "That's an awesome-"

Her words died at the tip of her tongue as her gaze travelled to the drum set at the other end of the room. It took all her effort to keep her jaw from distinctly dropping. The person playing on it was most definitely not whom she expected it to be.

"Hey, Chibikko-senpai. It's been a while since we last bumped into each other."

_Earth, please, open up below my feet and swallow me whole. Like, right now. If it wouldn't be too much trouble._

She remained frozen in the same spot, unable to emit a sound, or make a move, or anything at all. Once she realized her wish won't be fulfilled anytime soon, panic began to set in. Her legs felt wobbly, her heart seemed to burst, her cheeks were aflame; just the usual, whenever she encountered Shion Kaito.

_Oh my gosh, what do I do. This can't be happening to me. No. Freaking. Way. Why am I so helplessly unlucky? _The thoughts zipped through her mind. With each passing second of silence, the atmosphere between them became more awkward.

_Okay, okay, just, calm down. Breathe. Your brain needs it_, she instructed herself. Keeping it the least exaggerated as possible, she emptied her lungs and filled them again with fresh air, clearing some of the fog in her mind. _Good. You've got this under control. Now, say something. At this point, doesn't really matter what, because the embarrassment levels are already skyrocketing._

"Y-y-yeah, it s-sure has b-been," she clumsily blurted out the words, her gaze drifting everywhere in the room, except towards him.

_Ah, how pathetic. Get a grip on yourself, girl. You're at a safe distance. And he's fully clothed this time. _She tentatively took a few steps forward and turned to look at Kaito, willing her mouth to form into a timid smile.

Seated at the drum set, his height didn't stand out as much and shrunk his presence by a bit. The afternoon sun's orange rays deepened the blue tint of his hair and drew attention to the sweat drops on the bridge of his nose. The trademark gentle smile that she had become familiar with in the time before the Golden Week incident adorned his features.

"Sorry about last time," she apologized. "It was my fault."

"Don't mind it. Nothing went to waste, so I got my full pay check at the end of the month," he reassured her.

_Wait, what? The accident at Clover Club was before the one I'm apologizing for. Perhaps... he forgot about it? He was still pretty sleepy-looking, so he might've thought it was just a dream... I should get out of here before he remembers, _she reasoned.

"I have something to take care of, so I'll be going now," she told him. "Bye, Shion-kun."

Without wasting another moment, she made her escape from the music room and dashed down the hallway. She headed back to the high school building, hoping to find Gumi-sensei in the faculty office. The sooner she could leave school grounds, the better. And she still wished the ground would gobble her up.


	10. Chapter 10

"Whaaaaat? You haven't slept properly for _two entire weeks_?" Miku yelled at the blond youth in her arms, incredulity ringing in her voice.

The two of them had been on their way home after school on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, when Len had stumbled forward all of a sudden, between two monstrous yawns. She had managed to catch him before he staggered off the sidewalk and into the scarce traffic of the road.

"It's nothing. I'm fine," he shrugged it off as he regained his balance. After another giant yawn, he resumed walking, albeit quite sluggishly.

"No, you're not _fine_," she reprimanded the boy, her teal twin tails swaying in the air as she vigorously shook her head, catching up to him with ease at the same time. "C'mon, look at yourself. You're like a zombie that just crawled out of the ground."

He couldn't deny that in the least. His usually vibrant blue eyes had lost their glow, the dark circles underneath them and his ashen complexion likened him to a fresh corpse, profound fatigue seeping from his very being. Even his shiny blond locks seemed dull as they sat lifelessly on his head. His shoulders were slouched, as if he was carrying all the weight of the entire galaxy on them.

"Braaaaaaiinnnsss... Braaaaaaainsss..." he started to chant, stretching out his arms and lightly waving them in the air, letting his head droop onto his shoulder as he dragged his feet. He abandoned the act after a little while, breaking out in crazy laughter as his arms limply hung at his side.

"See? You're so tired now that you've crossed over to being exaggeratedly giddy! And it's a bit scary when _you_ do that, Len-kun," she commented while crossing her arms, still trying to prove her point with a worried tone.

"That's good. At this rate, I'll collapse from sleep deprivation pretty soon and completely black out for like a day or two and get some rest at last," he reasoned once his giggles subsided, combing through his loose strands of hair with his fingers. Even his ponytail was messier than usual.

"Or you know, you could just sleep at night, like normal people do?" Miku proposed, rolling her eyes. The gesture went unnoticed, since he was suddenly intrigued by a flock of pigeons sitting on the electrical wires.

"I would, if I actually could. It's not that I don't want to sleep, because I really do, but that I simply _can't_," he began to explain, the irritation audible in his voice. "When I finally manage to doze off, I have a nightmare and I'm unable to fall back asleep for the next couple of hours again."

"Aaawww, that's horrible. Is it always the same nightmare, or a different one each time?" she inquired out of curiosity, taking a step closer to him.

"I don't know, I don't remember them at all," he replied, his left eye suffering from a small twitch. "It's only this really, really dreadful feeling that remains."

"Wow, two weeks of that, every single night...," she mused out loud. "How are you not a complete nervous wreck yet? And why didn't you tell me any sooner?"

He shrugged in response, stifling another yawn. The conversation ended there and a heavy silence settled in between them as they continued on their way home.

Finding out about his dilemma awakened the sisterly instincts within Miku. _I'm an awful person. I've been so focused on my new song that I didn't even notice how ghastly of a shape Len-kun is in. Am I abandoning him just as much as Rin-chan is? _Suddenly, the events clicked together in her mind.

"You can't sleep anymore without your sister beside you?" she blurted out without a trace of hesitation. Caught completely off-guard by her bizarre theory, the blond froze in place.

"W-w-w-what m-makes you th-think that?" he somehow managed to stutter out his question. "I'm n-not such a ch-child!"

"Well, what else would've traumatized you two weeks ago?" she remarked, raising her eyebrows. She stepped in front of him with her arms crossed and stared straight into his eyes, but she couldn't decipher the emotion reflected in them.

"Erm... Shion holding my banana hostage?" he weakly suggested, adding a clumsy grin. The tealette's stare turned into an icy glare.

"I'm dense, not dumb," she quickly retorted. "I admit, you might've lost one night's sleep -two at most- on that, but two weeks? Rin-chan has to be the reason for that."

"So what if she is?" he snapped at her, giving up on denying it any longer. He broke his gaze away and circumvented her, advancing a couple of steps. Miku had to strain her ears to hear what he whispered next. "Nothing can be done about it..."

She didn't need to see his face to figure out that he was probably wearing the 'hug me' expression. She sauntered over and gently wrapped her arms around his fragile figure from behind. He didn't even bother complaining about it this time.

"It breaks my heart to see you two like this. I'd say it goes against the very laws of nature. Tell her you miss her and then everything can go back to normal," she advised him. He swiftly broke out of her hold and walked ahead at a quickened pace, while she lagged a few steps behind him.

"No, I can't do that. If she's happier while hanging out with that freak Utatane and his gang than with me, I have to suck it up and endure it. No matter what, I mustn't hurt Rin. Not ever," he stated, his tone brimming with conviction.

"Wouldn't seeing you in so much pain hurt her the most?" she attempted to reason with him.

"Which is why I'm not letting her see," he swiftly countered. "And it's not like she's looking at me anymore."

Miku was at a momentary loss for words. _The saddest thing is, that's he actually right. _

"Well, _I'm_ looking at you and it hurts _me_ to see you like this, so I'm going to do something about it, as a responsible older sister should," she declared out of the blue, matching her steps with his and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. They both glanced at each other; to her, it looked like a tiny spark had returned to his orbs of blue.

"Ah, is that so?" he wondered, layering his tone with a healthy dose of sarcasm. A smirk almost appeared at the corner of his mouth, but turned into another yawn at the last second. The tealette couldn't help but smile endearingly at that.

"Yeah. I promise. I'll help set things straight; it's the least I can do."

* * *

"You can't be serious," Len flat-out rejected Miku's proposal, looking at her like she was a recent escapee from a mental institute. "No, nuh-uh, never, no way, not ever again, no, just no, not in a bazillion years, I refuse, proposition denied and completely and utterly rejected. And I almost forgot to say, NO! No, no, nooo and _no_."

"Aww, c'mon, she'll never know, if that's what you're worried about. And you want to sleep, yes?" she tried coercing him to accept her idea, unfazed by his outburst.

They had somehow safely made it back to the dormitory and were now in the girl's room, after Len had dropped off his belongings in his own. She was sitting on the edge of her bed with her legs crossed while he took a seat in one of the swivel chairs, placing his arms atop the backrest. The tealette had come up with a brilliant plan; however, he didn't deem it as such.

"But what if she comes back early today? And if she finds me here like that, then... then..." he couldn't even find the right words to properly convey his immense anxiety over the issue as he began to twiddle his thumbs. "Besides, it'd give me what, four or five hours of sleep at the most? It's not worth the risk. And it won't really get me anywhere; I'd still be just as worn out. No, I'm not doing it."

"Okay, you have a point there..." she admitted, cradling her chin in the palm of her hand as she pondered over the dilemma. "But that's still more than the amount of sleep you've been getting lately. And anyways, she wouldn't have the heart to wake you up, nor would she mind it that much."

"When I said no, I really meant no! What's so hard to understand about that? Get it through that thick skull of yours already!" he exploded from the pent-up frustration and got to his feet, mercilessly hurling the words at her. "Sheesh, you're so freaking difficult to handle at times! I said no and that's that! Forget it; I don't need your help."

Miku just sat there without so much as blinking an eye, accepting all his anger. _He's not actually mad at me. It's just the exhaustion. I guess it really was a stupid idea to suggest that, of all things. But what other solution is there? _

"Len-kun, calm down. This is exactly why you need to get some proper sleep..." she declared with composure.

"Calm down? Calm down? How the heck am I supposed to calm down when you tell me to take a nap _in my sister's bed?_" he continued to yell, pointing a finger towards the aforementioned piece of furniture. His cheeks were already flushed and his breathing had gotten heavy, glowering at the tealette with resentful eyes. "No! There's no way I could ever do that again!"

"Why not?" she asked innocently, cocking her head to the side. "You're just overreacting... Rin-chan didn't complain about it at all, that time. If she'd see you now, I'm sure she'd suggest it, too."

"You still don't get it, do you?" he countered, his lips forming a scowl. However, the sheer mention of his twin's name had considerably cooled him. He plopped back down onto the swivel chair, entwining his fingers in his bangs. "It's... dangerous... for me to sleep in her bed... and for her to sleep in the same bed with me..."

"Honestly, what's the worst that could happen? But it's just as dangerous for you to not sleep at all. You'll seriously get sick. That would hurt her the most, no? And it's not something she won't notice," she approached the situation from another angle. "Go lie down and get some rest already. You really need it."

"No. I. Can't. Do. It," Len stressed every syllable. He abruptly stood up from the chair. "I've had enough; I'm outta here."

As he began to walk towards the door, she got up from the bed and hurried ahead of him. She grabbed onto his shoulders and started pushing him backwards.

"Miku-chan, what do you think you're doing? Let me go!" he retaliated, trying to pry her hands off without much success. On the contrary, she strengthened her grip on him.

"You left me no choice. I promised I'd help, and that includes making sure you're okay. If I have to force you to sleep, then so be it," she announced, steering him toward Rin's bed. A bewildered expression appeared on his face.

The blond's legs bumped into its frame and he collapsed onto it, Miku pinning him down to make sure he won't escape. Her twin tails tumbled down, tickling his cheeks.

"Good boy," she praised him with a sweet smile turned eerie. "Now, close your eyes and let her scent drift you off to Dreamland."

"You can't possibly think..." He was interrupted mid-sentence by a giant yawn that forced his eyes shut. The soft pillow beneath his head and the drowsiness completely overpowered him. He was asleep in a matter of seconds.

She released him from her hold and took a couple of steps back, pleased with her achievement. _That wasn't so difficult in the end, was it?_

* * *

While the boy slept, Miku decided to get a head start on her homework; it was the only thing she knew she could do in total silence.

Half an hour had barely passed when he began to stir. A few moans escaped his mouth as he tossed his arms about. She turned around upon hearing the noises, worry creeping into her mind. _Is he having another nightmare? My idea didn't work?_

"Rin!" he shrieked all of a sudden, abruptly sitting up. Plump teardrops streamed down his face, accentuating his frightened expression, but he didn't seem to notice as he fixated his empty gaze upon his outstretched fingers lying in his lap.

The tealette stood up from her desk and sat down beside him on the edge of the bed. He showed no sign of detecting her presence. The tears kept falling, falling, falling and he didn't utter a single sound.

"Len-kun... you're crying..." she broke the silence by pointing out the obvious. She cradled his face in her hand and tilted it up, brushing the sparkling drops away with her thumb.

"I'm not crying. My eyes are involuntarily leaking, that's all," he replied, his mouth shaping into a pout. She couldn't stop herself from letting out a soft laugh.

"Aawww, you don't have to act so tough all the time..." she told him with a reassuring smile. She let go of his cheeks and grabbed a tissue from the box sitting on the nightstand, handing it to him. He muttered a word vaguely resembling 'thanks' and blew his nose.

"I'll stay here, so try going back to sleep, okay?" she advised him. She extracted the used tissue from his grasp, placing it on the corner of the nightstand, and took his hands into hers.

Following a huge yawn, he nodded in response and obediently lied down, closing his eyes again; he hadn't come to his senses enough after the nightmare to object. She commenced humming a tune, in hopes of soothing him. She had always thought of it as a lullaby, a gentle song that was born in her first year at Kaion Academy.

"_Suyasuya, yume wo miteru,  
Kimi no yokogao.  
Kidzukazu koboreta namida,  
Hoo wo tsutau.  
Setsuna no tokimeki wo,  
Kono mune ni kakushiteta no._

_Last Night, Good Night  
Last Night, Good Night  
Kono yoru, kimi no te  
Nigitte, nemuru yo,  
Oyasumi..._"

She sang the words in a low yet clear voice, almost at a whisper. By the time she reached the end of it, Len was peacefully sleeping once more, still holding onto her hand.

_Too cute. Way too cute, _she remarked to herself as she gazed at the boy. His serene expression was paired with puffy eyes and lingering tear stains on his cheeks, making him seem completely defenceless.

_I wonder... would Len-kun be so broken now, if I hadn't rejected him back then? Did I make the right choice? Couldn't I have fallen in love with him, and saved him from all this suffering? He's a precious friend to me... Couldn't a little lie have turned into the truth?_

* * *

"Oh my _gosh,_ Miku-chan, you so won't believe what just happened!" Rin burst through the door, squealing like a little kid in a candy shop, her smile reaching from ear to ear.

"Shhh!" the tealette promptly hushed her friend. "Len-kun's sleeping."

"Ah, sorry," she immediately apologized, sticking out her tongue and bonking herself on the head with a fisted hand. "Wait, what?"

That's when the female Kagamine became aware of her brother's figure in her bed, with her roommate sitting beside him and holding his hand. He started to regain consciousness as his sister's voice reached his ears. Luckily, he'd managed to sleep for about five hours straight.

Assessing his situation, most notably its awkwardness, he tore his hands out of Miku's and stumbled out of Rin's bed, onto the floor. She looked at her brother in utter confusion.

"It's her fault!" he declared, pointing accusingly at the tealette. Rin's gaze travelled to her friend, just as puzzled as ever.

"Explanation please?" she asked with a demanding edge to her tone. "I don't mind if you two are dating each other, but why are you using my bed?"

"Rin, that's not even funny for a joke."

"Rin-chan, you're completely misunderstanding it."

They both rebuked the claim at the same time in a relatively tranquil manner. Knowing Rin, a heated objection would've only assured her of the opposite.

"Ahh, that's a shame," she said, though her voice lacked the disappointment. "We could've turned my date with Piko on Saturday into a double date."

Miku was speechless; torn between feeling happy for Rin and feeling sad for Len. His face distorted into a grimace, a deathly aura surrounding him. He got to his feet and stormed out of the room without another word.

"Sheesh, what's his problem?" she wondered, oblivious to her brother's emotions.

_That you're forgetting him,_ Miku replied in thought. _But why can't I say it to her face, even after promising Len-kun that I'd help? I have to say something, though._

"Maybe you should go after him and find out?" she suggested. _Even if you say you won't, I'll definitely drag you to him. _

"I should, shouldn't I?" the blonde answered after a short contemplation, biting her bottom lip. Dropping her schoolbag onto the ground with no delicacy whatsoever, she ran out the door after her brother.

Miku got to her feet and walked out onto the balcony for a breath of fresh air. _Reconciling these two won't be an easy task, that's for sure. This isn't just a friendship to be mended... it's a blood tie that has to be fortified._

* * *

Rin returned within fifteen minutes, arms crossed and fuming as she joined her friend outside.

"Len-nii's an idiot," she announced grumpily. "I honestly don't understand his resentment towards Piko if he hasn't even met him yet..."

"Well, isn't it normal for brothers to be protective about their sisters?" Miku wondered, poking her chin with a finger. "He just doesn't want you to get hurt."

"I know. He said the same thing... But we're not children anymore. We're in high school now. It's about time I learned to take care of myself. I can't always rely on him to be there for me," she explained, leaning against the railing and staring up at the starry sky, resting her head on her palm. She let out a heavy sigh. "Sooner or later, we have to live our own lives."

The tealette had no idea how to comment on that. _I never really thought about it... What happens to twins when they get older? Are they capable of being separated, after having spent all those years side by side?_

"Try to be a little more considerate of Len-kun, okay? For all it's worth, I consider you two to be my siblings, so it affects me as well, if you aren't on good terms with each other..." she voiced her request. Rin merely nodded in response.

"I'm starving, so I'm going down to the kitchen to grab a snack. You coming with?" she asked her roommate.

"Nah, don't really have an appetite right now. I think I'll stay here for a bit," she replied, not once looking at Miku. "I need to clear my head a bit..."

"All right, good luck with that," she said, walking away. _For your sake and Len-kun's, too. _

* * *

**Disclaimer: **Last Night, Good Night belongs to kz/livetune, NND code is sm4141643.

**Author's Note:** Forgot to mention it on the previous chapter, but all music-related help is thanks to my friend who also inspired the 'hug me' expression, because I know next to nothing in that area XD  
Well, with school starting again, updates will be scarce once more... I'll aim for at least monthly, but nothing faster than biweekly. It's so demotivating when your summer break is over, but the characters you write about still have that blessed period ahead of them...  
A huge thank you to everyone who keeps reading the story ^^


	11. Chapter 11

Sleeping in on a Saturday morning is a sanctity that must never be broken; it's the principle that most students live by. But there are cases where the youthful spirit has to compromise on it for the sake of creating the valuable memories of one's adolescence. And what could possibly be more memorable than a first date?

Kagamine Rin was determined to make it an absolutely awesome one. Her preparations up until Friday night had been, in terms of seriousness, akin to those for a mission of utmost importance. She had compiled an elaborate plan on what to wear, how to style her hair and what sort of make-up would fit the occasion. Although Piko hadn't revealed a single detail about where they'll be going, she read each and every magazine with date tips that she was able to find in her vicinity. What's more, he had postponed it by a week, giving her that much more time to arrange everything. She was as ready as she could ever get.

Naturally, Miku had helped along the way to the best of her ability; it didn't amount to a lot, since she didn't have any first-hand knowledge about dates, either. For that reason, she had recruited Luka onto the team. Her friend had gladly accepted the position and offered to do Rin's make-up, since she possessed more expertise in that area. Hence it also served as the perfect opportunity for the tealette to introduce the two girls to each other.

Not to mention, she had _both_ Kagamines to watch over at the same time amidst all the frantic planning. Curing Len of his sleep deprivation was the easier case, once she had finally recalled that miraculous inventions like sleeping pills exist. As it turned out, they had also proved to be quite useful in subduing Rin during her occasionally recurring panic attacks in anticipation of the big day.

The twins weren't the only ones that kept the tealette occupied. Although she worked her hardest to perfect her song in time for the music festival, she had her doubts about actually performing it. For one, it was supposed to be an energetic, cheery concert, reminiscent of the summer sun's strongly shining rays; the song's sincerity carried a melancholic mood that would've ruined the general atmosphere. Furthermore, it began to feel like too much of a private matter to just sing it out for everyone to hear. Alas, time was running out and she had less than a week to settle on her final decision.

Besides the numerous big issues, there were also the little things to worry about. She was still pretty jittery about bumping into Kaito, keeping up her usual level of awareness and always scouring the area for his figure standing out from the crowd, yet making sure that Luka wouldn't remark her weird behaviour. All in all, Miku had a lot on her plate; with her small appetite, she wasn't used to it in the least.

That certain morning, a nasty cough coming from the blonde's direction broke the room's silence, instead of the alarm clock. Because more complications were totally necessary. Coming to her senses, the last figments of Miku's dream vanished into the dark corners of her memory. Once her eyesight had cleared up, she glanced at the clock. _Huh? It's only 7:00 am... I could've slept for another hour, at the very least. _

"Miku-chan, I don't feel so well..." Rin's bleary voice broke off her thoughts. She climbed out of her bed and walked over to check up on her friend's state.

Before she put her palm on her forehead, she could already tell that she was suffering from a high fever by the laboured breathing, the flushed cheeks and the pained scowl she wore. Coming in contact with her skin, it was like touching a stove. _Poor Rin-chan, getting a fever now, of all times!_

"Does it hurt anywhere?" the older girl asked, traces of concern in her tone. _If it's just the fever, and we manage to lower that, she might feel well enough by the time she has to go meet Piko._

"My entire body... aches... It feels like... someone dropped... a boulder on my head..." she answered, dragging her words out due to the agony.

"Uwah, that's not good, not good at all. I'll get you some medicine right away," the tealette informed her as she brushed aside a few strands of her golden locks that were dampened by sweat.

"Thanks... Get Len-nii, too..." Rin voiced her request. She nodded in response, before setting off to fetch them both.

_What are we going to do? There's no way she'd agree to cancel the date, nor is she capable of going..._ The tealette began to ponder on the situation, hurrying through the hallway.

* * *

"Rin!" the male Kagamine burst through the door with a concerned shout, dashing directly towards her bed and kneeling down beside it. Miku followed closely behind, holding the bottle of medicine and a teaspoon.

"Len-nii..." she spoke his name in a hoarse whisper. She peered at him from beneath half-closed eyes. As each tell-tale sign of her illness registered in his mind, his expression became more and more distraught.

"Don't worry, Rin. You'll feel better in no time, after you take this," he reassured the sick girl, while aiding her into a sitting position. The tealette handed the items to him and he carefully poured some of the liquid out onto the spoon. The medication was a dark-coloured substance, a faint orange scent emanating from it.

She opened her mouth without a single complaint. He slowly placed the utensil onto her tongue, tilting it to ease the medicine's journey down her throat. In the meantime, Miku poured some water into a glass and then handed it to Len while taking the spoon from him. The boy helped his sister with drinking that, too. The tealette took the emptied glass and placed the items on the bedside table.

"Go back to sleep for now. You won't even remember the fever by the time you wake up," he told Rin, whilst tucking her underneath the sheets. She slowly nodded and he impulsively bestowed a quick peck onto her forehead before he sat down on the rug between the two beds. He seemed ready to spend the entire day there, watching over his sister as she battled it out with the sudden cold she had attracted.

The tealette needed to speak to the boy, but didn't want to wake up Rin, so she grabbed his wrist to pull him to his feet. He remained firmly in his spot, like he had taken root there; he paid no mind to Miku's antics. She kept tugging him until she managed to exert enough force to drag him across the floor, towards the bathroom. Len kept focusing on his sister's bed, wearing a stone-cold expression. He only became aware of having reached their destination once Miku had cautiously closed the door behind them and Rin was entirely out of his vision.

The bathroom itself wasn't all that tiny, nor was it too spacious. The walls were painted a pale blue; the floor's tiles were in a matching shade, all in harmony with the sea-green bathtub. She took a seat on its edge, shortly followed by Len, who had somewhat come to his senses.

"Why'd you bring me in here? I need to stay with Rin!" the boy grumbled with discontent over the situation.

"That's exactly what we have to discuss. Do you really think she'll be cured that fast?" Miku wondered aloud, not attempting to hide the scepticism in her tone. She stared at her toes, wriggling them on the fluffy bath mat.

"Well, not really," he replied truthfully as he scratched the back of his head. "But I couldn't say that to her, could I? The thought of missing her date would've only worsened her condition."

"Yeah, probably," she admitted with a nod. "Then what are we going to do about that?"

"Tell Piko that she can't go, of course," he declared in total confidence, crossing his arms over his torso. "It must be a warning that she's not supposed to go on a date with that freak. I knew no good would come out of it from the start."

"And let all her hard work go to waste?" the tealette objected right away, directing her gaze towards the blond. "Could you honestly do that to Rin-chan?"

"Do you have a better idea?" he retorted. "I'm not letting my sister risk her health on a worthless piece of trash. If not, let me go back to her." His fingers curled into a fist as he spoke.

She took a few moments to consider the dilemma, drumming her fingers on the bathtub's edge. All of a sudden, a brilliant thought popped into her mind.

"Actually, I _do_ have a better idea. You should go on the date in her place!" she announced, accompanied by a clap of her hands, sounding way too enthusiastic about it. "It'd be the perfect chance to check him out yourself, if he's worthy of Rin-chan or not."

Len almost lost his balance and fell backwards into the tub upon hearing Miku's unexpected suggestion; he grabbed onto the rim at the last second. He became as white as a ghost, his eyes widening to the size of saucers. She observed him with a bemused look, cocking her head to the side.

"I do believe I've heard you wrong," he finally uttered a couple of seconds later, regaining an upright pose, though he still had a shocked air about him. "Are you basically asking me to cross-dress as Rin? And spend the entire day with the person I despise, pretending to be head over heels for him? Seriously?"

"Yep, seriously. Don't you think she'll be thrilled to get your approval?" Miku attempted to reason with him, summoning a smile onto her lips. "You two are like peas in a pod, Piko won't notice the difference."

"No way, I can't do it. Knowing Rin, she'll kick me into outer space when she finds out that I 'stole' her first date," he expressed his disapproval, scrunching up his nose. "Also, we're not _exactly_ the same anymore. She's... uh, well... no longer, you know..." he began to stumble over his words, a rosy blush appearing on his cheeks. He didn't even dare look anywhere near the tealette's direction. "What I mean is... that lately, she's... erm, _grown._ In _that_ area..."

This time, she was the one to almost fall into the tub as she clamped her hands onto her mouth, in order to suppress her highly amused giggles.

"Oh Len-kun, the hormones are starting to guide your eyes, huh?" she blurted out the comment between sniggers. It was her duty to tease him in his sister's absence; one that she took up quite persistently.

"Hell no!" he shouted with a disgusted scowl, the rosy blush turning to deep crimson. He inched away from the obviously crazy girl. "It's just that... I couldn't _not_ notice it after... uhm, after I... the time when, you know... that morning..."

"Ah, yeah, makes sense," she interjected, saving him from further embarrassment. There were more pressing matters to be dealt with at the moment; most of the jabs could wait for later. "But that's not exactly an insurmountable obstacle, to be honest."

"Well, it's not like I'm capable of leaving Rin's side while she's sick," he attempted to avert the discussion away from the option of cross-dressing. "Especially since she herself asked for my presence. I can't abandon her. We'll reschedule the date for next Saturday, simple as that. It happened once, it can happen twice."

"Nope, that's not how it works," she flat-out stated, raising her palm. "Seeing as Piko's the one who invited her, it's fine if he puts it off. It could even be his way of checking just how much she's interested in him. But if Rin-chan does that, it'd mean she's taking it too lightly, so there's a good chance that he might just cancel the date entirely... Saying 'you're sick' is like, the oldest trick in the book; he probably won't actually buy it, even though it's true this time."

Miku resumed her monologue after a short pause. She wasn't completely confident about the theory she had presented, and she couldn't afford letting him find a fault in it. "I understand your reluctance to leave her, but can't you trust me to take good care of Rin-chan? Switching places with her is something only _you_ can do, Len-kun. And if this date doesn't happen, who knows when she'll get her next chance? On the other hand, if you act your role well, things will be off to a swell start. Your sister will be happy. Isn't that what matters most to you? Doing everything within your abilities to ensure her happiness?"

He had no immediate reply to that. His knuckles were turning white as he gripped onto the tub's frame. He shut his eyes tight and ground his teeth together in frustration as an ominous aura began to form around him. The heavy silence was starting to worry the girl a bit, until he snapped his head up and subjected her to a scrutinizing glare. Then she became even more worried. _Oh dear, I'm done for,_ she noted to herself, trying to keep her calm on the outside with a meek smile.

"You swear she'll be happy? You swear she won't hate my guts for the rest of our lives? You swear this is what's best for her? You swear everything will work out fine?" he spat out the questions, the glare intensifying after each one.

"Yeah. I have a feeling that we need to go with this plan," she assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. The gesture softened his expression, but just barely. _And it has nothing to do with my curiosity over trying out cross-dressing in real life_._ Nope, not at all. This is just me being a helpful big sister. _

He took a moment to consider things over again once more. To the tealette, it seemed like he was getting closer and closer to agreeing to her proposal. He suddenly leapt to his feet and took a deep breath before speaking. "Miku-chan, you always think of the weirdest things. And recently, they haven't worked out so well for me. So screw this, there's no way I'm making a fool of myself for anyone's sake!"

After that sudden outburst, he sprinted out of the bathroom. Or so he hoped to do. However, Miku's reflexes were faster than that. She latched herself onto his waist and tackled the blond to the ground. He tried squirming out of her hold, but to no avail. She mustered all her strength to keep him in place, eventually sitting on his back and pinning his arms down.

"Then, consider this. Wouldn't it be unpleasant for you if the lyrics to 'orange' were found by Rin-chan?" she inquired, masking the malicious intent with an innocent tone. "That'd be the more mortifying experience for you, no?"

The threat drew out a dramatic gasp from the boy. "You... You wouldn't dare..."

"Oh, I would. And we both know it. I promised I'd help set things straight. I never said I'd refrain from using debatable methods to achieve that," she declared her standpoint on the matter. "So, which will it be? Cross-dressing date or revealed song? What would make Rin happier in the long run?"

"You can be really evil sometimes, do you know that? _Fine,_ I'll go on this stupid date..." he gave in to her wishes at last, sounding none too jubilant about it.

"I knew you'd come around," she praised him, patting him on the head as a reward for his wise choice.

With no warning whatsoever, she removed his shirt by grabbing the bottom of it and pulling it over his head. It happened so suddenly that he had no chance to retaliate.

"Mi-Miku-chan! What do you think you're doing?" he lashed out at her, trying to turn around and look the culprit in the eye. The pink tinge reappeared onto his face, coupled with a frightened expression.

"Oi, Len-kun, have you been eating properly?" she posed a question of her own, utterly disregarding his. Her lips curled into a displeased pout.

Indeed, the blond youth's upper body had started to show the obvious indications of malnutrition. He was nearing the point of being literally skin and bones, his ribs easily countable. She poked one of them, making him cringe.

"Fast metabolism, that's all," he replied, turning away from her and resting his face on the ground.

"Would it honestly be too much of an effort to take care of yourself, just a little bit?" she demanded, the words coming out a tad harsher than she intended them to.

Some of that anger was directed at herself... _Why, oh why didn't I notice it sooner? I'm doing an awful job at watching over him. At times like these, he's really just like a fragile little kid. His physique is nothing like Se Taka- I mean, Shion-kun's..._ The image of his figure from that day briefly popped into her mind. She shook the thought out of her head before a blush could burst onto her cheeks.

"Well, what I can do when I feel sick from the very thought of putting food in my mouth?" he snapped back sharply. "I do keep myself properly hydrated, so it's fine..."

"No, it's aeons away from being fine. You're at a crucial age where your body needs the vitamins and nutrients! Just... eat first, think about it later, okay?" she endeavoured to convince him. "Otherwise I'll have to keep you under constant surveillance or something."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he brusquely agreed. "Just get off of me, you're heavy... And give me the clothes already. The sooner we're done with this, the better..."

She did as she was instructed, letting his veiled insult pass unanswered for once. _And he doesn't even know yet that Luka-chan's coming over, too. _

* * *

Dressing Len into Rin's pre-selected clothes turned out to be not such a simple task after all. Understandably, he was extremely reluctant to wear a mini-skirt... Thus some modifications had to be applied to the original plan. Miku ventured out to invade the girl's closet and she quickly checked up on her as well: luckily, she was still asleep and her condition appeared to have improved by a little. Minutes later, she brought a large pile of clothes to the bathroom, dropping them on top of the washing machine.

"Go on, pick out something nice for yourself," she instructed him, her grin reaching from ear to ear. _I wonder if he has the ability to instinctively pick out the right clothes..._

"What makes you think I'm capable of doing that?" he retorted, raising his eyebrows. "You're the girl, you should know! I'm just the poor, abused victim again..."

_All right, I guess not, _the tealette deduced. She began rummaging through the articles of clothing in search of suitable ones for him. Unfortunately, he was quite the critic, as he rejected each one she presented to him.

"Are you sure you don't want to try it yourself?" she suggested to him after a fruitless half hour. "It took us days to pick out the original outfit in the first place. And you seem to know _so well_ what wouldn't work for you."

"I guess it can't be helped..." he said, ambling over to the pile. He pensively stroked his chin, merely observing the selection for a while.

Miku couldn't believe what she was witnessing. He soon began to strategically sort through them, comparing colours and materials to find the right match for an outfit.

"This should do it," he proclaimed after roughly five minutes. He held out the clothes for her to see; she couldn't restrain her jaw from dropping in astonishment. Noticing the gesture, a victorious smirk lit up his features. "It appears I'm better at this than I assumed. Now, turn around while I change."

She almost complained that there was no need for him to do so, since he was without a shirt all along. Just almost; she decided against it at the last moment, instead silently complying with his request.

"Uhhh... Miku-chan, help," he announced after several minutes of fervent fumbling. "This... _thing..._ is horribly incomprehensible."

The tealette turned around and saw that he was in the middle of solving the chest area problem. It was a comical sight to behold and she really had to concentrate on keeping her giggles to a minimum. She stepped closer to him and lent a hand in fixing the undergarment so it would give the proper allusion, by grabbing a handful of tissues from the box on the counter. _Nah, this isn't awkward at all,_ a sarcastic little voice echoed in her thoughts. She could feel his body temperature rise and heartbeat speed up when her fingers brushed against his skin; something comparable could be said about herself.

"And you'll have to shave your legs to wear that, you know," she informed him, putting some much needed space in between them once she was finished.

"Dammit," he hissed angrily. "It's a painful experience, isn't it?"

"Yup. Especially the first time."

* * *

The clothing-related crisis successfully conquered in the end, it was time to move on to his hair. The tealette brought a chair in for him to sit on, so as to facilitate the task at hand.

"Can I ask you something entirely hypothetical?" Len spoke up in a hesitant tone, as Miku started to comb through his sunny blond locks.

"Sure, what is it?" she urged him on, stopping her strokes for the moment.

"How can you tell the difference between sibling love and romantic love?" he straightforwardly raised the question on his mind. He stared straight ahead, making it impossible for the girl to covertly read his expression. _That's a truly random subject to bring up all of a sudden..._

"Uhm, I don't really know, actually..." the tealette replied, pausing to reflect on it for a while. She recommenced brushing his hair; she had a feeling that it'd turn into a long conversation, for which they didn't have too much time to spare. "I'd imagine it's just something that you feel as an instinct?"

"Well, if you've only ever known one of the two, how would you know if it's the other one? Is there such a huge discrepancy between them?" he probed further into the matter, sounding slightly irritated. A wave of nostalgia washed over the girl. _We've had a similar conversation before..._

"I don't think that's the case. Because as I see it, they're all the same to an extent; the fact is that you care deeply for the person in question. But still, there's something that sets them apart... Sort of like, you wouldn't want to kiss your own sister, right?" she tried to guide him in the direction of a plausible answer. She moved onto his bangs, partly so she could see his reactions.

"Ewww, kissing's gross either way!" he expressed his disapproval, creases appearing on the bridge of his nose. "Makes no difference if it's Rin or anyone else."

"Then, it isn't even about either kind of love yet. Maybe it's just admiration, or fascination, or attachment, or something like that; the possibilities are endless of what else it can be. In my opinion, it's absolutely useless to worry if it's in the 'love' category at all until you no longer think kissing is gross," she responded nonchalantly. _I take that back about the hormones. With an outlook like this, it's obvious how young and childish he still is on the inside. _

"That's honestly it? Love starts with wanting to kiss?" he inquired, a puzzled expression signalling his inability to wrap his mind around the concept.

"Perhaps on a more vague level, you could call it physical attraction? It's not the only thing to define it, but it's definitely a part of it..." she offered an alternative, although her tone wasn't very convincing. _All I can rely on is the stuff I've seen in various series over the years..._

"No, I still can't accept that; I won't accept that. Merely lusting after someone is just too flimsy as reasoning, for something so significant. It's extremely disappointing to have something other than profound feelings at the base of love... And that applies to the separation between sibling and romantic love, too. If there absolutely has to be one, why one can't turn into the other, it's got to be something huge. Otherwise, it's just not fair..." his voice lowered to a whisper during that last phrase, the pain visible in his eyes. "Is it possible that you only learn what it is when you're older? Am I too young to know yet?"

Miku was taken aback for a moment. _Wow, logic like that is far from being young and childish... Perhaps this matter has been on his mind for quite a while now..._

"You certainly don't _sound_ too young. Seriously, you'd fit right in with the grandpas at a retirement home, talking like that. But it's true that an older person who's experienced more situations would be able to identify the various kinds of 'likes' and 'loves' better. However, I don't think that there's a predetermined age limit. After all, many people end up marrying their high school sweethearts," she began to elaborate on her philosophy. By that point, she had completely abandoned the task of styling his hair. "So it's probably a stroke of luck if you can find your fated person this early in your life. I mean, if it's the one true love, then I'm sure that even a young heart would know better than to let it slip away."

"In the end, it really is just an instinct thing?" he wondered, raising his eyebrows in doubt. "There's nothing you can rely on for sure?"

"As far as I know, yeah. You just have to listen to the whispers of your heart," she declared with a poetic edge.

"Even though I'm completely against it, I'm asking just out of pure curiosity: where would physical attraction start? Is it smaller and less repulsive than kissing?" he wondered, tilting his head a bit.

"I suppose so. I mean, there's hugging and cuddling before that..." she cited a few examples for him, counting them off on her fingers.

"What about... wanting to be beside the person? Always? Yearning for their presence just as much as air? Just... wanting to hold their hand and never let go?" he suggested examples of his own in an unsure tone. The way he expressed them made each simple word sound like a heavy burden.

"Oooh, that's it, that's it! I'd say such feelings would certainly be enough to call it 'love' already," she told him, pointing up her index finger. At that moment, the little events from the past weeks connected together in her mind. "This wasn't an entirely hypothetical question though, was it?"

"Can't you be dense about this like you are with everything else?" he retorted as a means of avoiding the obligation to answer, turning his head away from her.

"Sorry, no can do. Blame yourself for being excruciatingly obvious about it and dropping too many hints," she gently chided him. "Just to make sure I'm not misunderstanding it: it's about Rin-chan, isn't it? You love her a bit differently than normal for a brother?"

"Yeah. Probably. I'm still not exactly sure yet... Because, you know, I've mixed up the two before... Keep it a secret, okay?" he pleaded, still facing away from her. His tone was enough to convey his fretfulness over the matter.

"Of course, that goes without saying," she reassured him, accompanied by a squeeze on his shoulder. _Perhaps I'm the source of his confusion? Did I say something in a way I shouldn't have, that certain afternoon on the rooftop? And the things I said just now?_

"Is... is it... weird? Is there... something wrong with me? Am I... a despicable person? Do I even count... as a human being?" His worries spilled out one by one in a shaky voice.

"Oh Len-kun... Feelings and emotions are fickle things. You can't fully control them, no matter how much you want to. I won't deny that there's nothing wrong with you, because there's something wrong with everyone, but it's not this. At least, I don't think so. And if you stop thinking like that, too, then it won't count what anyone else thinks, either," she attempted to console him, moving over and standing on her knees to look him directly in the eye.

"What Rin thinks counts, too," he remarked, trying to avert his gaze from hers. "And I'm sure she'd banish me from her plane of existence if she had the faintest knowledge of it. She'd be disgusted with me."

"Hey now, have some faith in her. You're just exaggerating; she wouldn't be that cruel to you. Even if she doesn't reciprocate the feelings you have for her, it doesn't automatically imply that she doesn't care about you in the least, you know," she reasoned, taking his hands into her own.

"Well, I guess... Although she doesn't really act like it nowadays. And yet, here I am like a pathetic idiot, risking my pride for her happiness with a dubious guy! When I'm the one who needs to be at her side..." he complained, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Okay, hold on a sec. Friendly word of advice: _never_ tell a girl that you desperately 'need' her," she noted, shaping an X with her hands for the added effect. "That's like, the ultimate warning bell for a psychopath on the loose."

"Thanks for calling me a nutcase," he interjected with a grumble. "Just what I needed to hear now."

"Anyways, just phrase it differently so it'll sound less stalker-creepy," she advised. Starting to feel uncomfortable on her knees, she decided to sit on the bathtub's rim again. "You aren't planning on confessing to Rin-chan anytime soon, right?"

"Eeeeehhh? Like hell I would!" his exclamation almost had him tumble off the chair. "Not until I know for sure that's it romantic love, and not simply intense sibling love. I can't risk what little we still have, even though it hurts so freaking much that she barely acknowledges my existence anymore and favours the freak over me..." he explained, closing his eyes for a few seconds.

_Things are really getting complicated between Rin-chan and Len-kun..._ _Even more so than I had previously thought it to be. But I can't back down now, because they're important to me. I just have to figure out a way to make them realize that they're important to each other, too; without excessive meddling, if possible. Too bad it's easier said than done, _she brooded over the current circumstances. _Well, first, we need to get through today's date._

"All right, that's enough moping around for now," she announced, standing up and clapping her hands together. He jolted from the noise, opening his eyes at the same time. "I still have your hair to finish, and then your make-up to do."

"Oh _joy,_" he remarked in a contemptuous manner. "Do you even know how to do that?"

"Relax, I got it covered," she told him. Minus the tiny little detail that she won't actually be the one in charge of it.

* * *

"And it's finished!" Miku announced cheerily, putting her hands on her hips and taking a step backwards as she observed Len's hairdo.

The boy stood up from the chair. For all it mattered, it could've been Rin sitting there a moment ago. He had been transformed into the perfect clone of his twin sister. The tealette couldn't stop her gaze from travelling up and down his figure. He cleared his throat before speaking up.

"Do I look okay?" the blond asked a bit hesitantly, yet sounding like a natural at imitating a feminine voice.

"Perfect," she replied once the question had registered in her head, giving him the thumbs up. "You and Rin-chan are like, the same person in two copies."

"I'm not sure if I should think of it as a good thing or bad thing..." he murmured gloomily.

Before Miku could comment, she was interrupted by her cell phone vibrating with an incoming text on the bathroom counter beside the sink.

**Date:** _06/15 AM 9:12_**  
From:** _Luka-chan  
_**Subject:**  
**Message:  
**_Good morning Miku-chan~ How're the preparations going for Kagamine-chan's date? Can I go do her make-up now :D? Either way, I'm almost there to help out~_

The tealette smiled at her friend's evident enthusiasm. She quickly began pressing the buttons to write a reply.

**Date:** _06/15 AM 9:14_**  
To:** _Luka-chan  
_**Subject:** _RE: ^^_  
**Message:  
**_Good morning Luka-chan! Yeah, we're all set. She'll look amazing with your finishing touches :3 I'll meet you in front of the dormitory. _

Having sent it, she placed the gadget back onto the counter. She took a deep breath to calm herself a bit. It was time for her to tell Len about the special assistance that was about to arrive.

"So, you know how I said I had the make-up part under control?" she breached the topic directly. The boy nodded in reply. "Well, I-asked-Luka-chan-to-come-and-help," she blurted out the sentence, innocently batting her eyelashes.

"You've got to be kidding me..." he complained, facepalming himself.

"Consider it the trial run. If you can fool Luka-chan into thinking that you're Rin-chan, then you can do the same with Piko," she reasoned.

"Except for the part where she hasn't even met Rin before, while the creep has," he pointed out the fault in her logic.

"The crucial part is that you pass for a girl. Since Rin-chan doesn't usually wear make-up, he'll attribute any strangeness in appearance to that," she adeptly covered it up.

"How do you plan on explaining why there's someone sleeping in Rin's bed?" he found yet another blunder in Miku's scheme.

"Simple! We'll say that it's you, on the account of having stayed up too late working on a school project," she came up with the scenario on a whim.

"On a Friday night? Before an important date? Yeah, that's very likely." he cynically noted.

"Tch, whatever, I'll just say it's a long story and leave it at that," she decided, with a casual flick of her hand. "Anyways, you stay put while I go and meet Luka-chan downstairs."

* * *

"Luka-chan, meet Rin-chan. Rin-chan, meet Luka-chan," the tealette presented them to each other. The three of them were standing in the bathroom, which was starting to get a little crowded by then.

"Pleased to finally meet you, Rin-chan," the pinkette said, bowing her head and amiably smiling. "It's fine if I call you that, right?"

"Of course. Nice to meet you, too, Luka-senpai, if I may," the disguised Len finished the exchange of formalities.

"Yeah! Being called 'senpai' makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside," she revealed, touching her cheeks with the tip of her fingers. "Let's get to it, shall we? Though I must say, you're plenty cute enough already!"

All the while, Miku kept the pinkette under close watch, to see if she suspected anything about the identity of the 'Rin' before her. That didn't seem to be the case, as the two of them had started to engage in casual conversation while Luka worked her magic.

_I didn't think Len-kun would be able to assimilate into his role so easily! He's chatting with her just as naturally as Rin-chan would in this situation... He's taking this really seriously. Because it's for his sister's sake,_ she concluded.

The minutes ticked by and Miku could only stare in awe at Luka's skills. She had brought a wide variety of cosmetic products with her; the tealette barely recognized around half of them. She worked quickly and efficiently, picking out the shades that would compliment Len's complexion the most with ease. There was enough time left for a simple French manicure as well. _Learning all this beauty stuff... is that what being a lady is about?_

When the pinkette had finished, she took a few steps back to stand beside her friend and observe the end result of their combined efforts. They gazed upon their kouhai in amazement, clasping their hands together and excitedly squealing at 'her' unparalleled cuteness.

The Rin-ified Len wore a ruffled maroon skirt with embroidered flowers on it that reached just above his knees and a pair of polka-dot leggings underneath it. The top he chose to go along with them was a light orange, short-sleeved chiffon blouse that had a dark orange ribbon around its waist. Vibrantly coloured plastic bangle bracelets decorated his wrists. Luka's make-up was nothing exaggerated; it was modest and gave him a natural, yet matured look. Miku couldn't leave Rin's trademark white bow out of his hair; instead, she exchanged her hair pins for fancier ones, with little gems on it and brushed his hair in a way that it'd seem more voluminous.

"Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it," he expressed his gratitude to his senpais, figuring that that's what his sister would've done. He fidgeted in his spot, looking away from them abashedly.

"It was my pleasure, honestly," Luka said. "Even though I only had a small part in it. But if this doesn't win Piko over, then he can get lost!"

"Yeah, that's right," the tealette agreed with her friend, a broad smile on her face. "You look absolutely charming and adorable!"

_If Rin-chan could see him now, she'd surely think the same. And if she were a guy, she totally wouldn't be able to resist his appeal..._ she commented to herself. Not entirely aware of her actions, Miku grabbed her cell phone from the counter.

"Say cheese~" she said, quickly snapping a photo of the boy before he had a chance to stop her. She quickly sunk it into her pocket. His slightly frightened expression made the shot that much sweeter.

"Delete it right this instant!" he hissed at her, trying to keep his voice from becoming too loud. In mere moments, his face was scarlet with anger.

"Nuh-uh," she refused his demand, wagging her finger. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime occasion that needs to be documented. And rather than arguing about that, you should get going soon. It's almost 10 am."

"I'll get you for _all_ of this one day, Miku-chan," he threatened her in an off-handed manner. He turned around and put a hand on the doorknob. "Ittekimasu."

"Itterasshai," the girls said simultaneously. "And have fun!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Happy Halloween in advance~ Hope everyone has a fun time :D  
Len's sleeping pills are courtesy of Kiyutsuna's review :3  
An enormous thank you to everyone who keeps following this story ^w^


	12. Chapter 12

After Len's departure, Miku and Luka started packing away the various cosmetics scattered on the bathroom counter. One by one, the contrasting colors disappeared off the greyish-white surface and into a black accessory bag. _It sort of feels like we're resealing Pandora's Box, or something,_ the tealette noted to herself.

"Really, thanks for helping us out," she conveyed her appreciation. "I don't even know how to apply half these make-up things; much less make it actually look nice in the end..."

"I can't just observe from the sidelines when a maiden's first love is at stake!" her friend declared, curling her long, elegant fingers and raising her fist into the air in a dramatic pose. "And, well, you do need to practice to get the hang of it. The first couple of times I tried applying some, I looked like something out of a horror movie." Their light-hearted chuckles mingled together and melted into the walls.

"Anyways, I'll leave some remover tonic and cotton pads here for Rin-chan to use," the pinkette offered, putting the items on the wooden shelf above the washing machine. As she did so, something beside the appliance caught her attention, evoking a surprised 'oh' from her.

"The Kagamines are twins, right? A boy and a girl," she stated casually, turning around to look at Miku. She received a decisive nod as a reply.

"Len-kun's the boy and Rin-chan's the girl," Luka continued, her gaze shifting from faint uncertainty. Another nod of agreement was her answer.

"Then, what are his clothes doing in here?" she wondered in an innocent tone, pointing at the garments in question.

"Uhhh, it's a long story..." the tealette murmured, looking down at her toes. _Damn, this is so not good. I don't think it's possible to justify having a boy's clothes in a girl's bathroom without it turning into an awkward tale._

"Oh, I've got time," she replied, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows quizzically.

"But I don't," she attempted shaking her off the topic, trying to look remorseful about it at the same time. "Sorry Luka-chan, I'll explain it to you on another occasion." Tension gathered in the air between them in the minute until she spoke.

"Alright... Don't think I'm letting you off easy though, because I _will_ ask again. It's too intriguing for me to not know the reason behind it," the pinkette stated with a playful wink. She zipped up the bag, having placed the last remaining eyeliner into it. "I guess I'll see you later then. Oh, call me when Rin-chan gets back. I wanna hear all about the date, too!"

Not wishing to impose any further, Luka left the room on her own. Miku let out her breath, which she wasn't even aware of having held in until that moment. _That was a close call_, she commented to herself. _It'd be disastrous for Len-kun if he were to be found out, by anyone. I'd imagine it to break him permanently. I could probably trust Luka-chan to keep it a secret, but it's not something for me to decide..._

She straightened up the rest of the bathroom, even picking up his clothes and folding them atop the washing machine. When she went back into the main room, Rin was still deep in slumber and looking considerably healthier already. To pass the time, she sat down at her desk and worked on polishing her song.

* * *

"_H-hey... Don't cry. It's just a movie."_

"_Bu-but it's so saaaad! The caring servant di-died and the evil princess gets to live."_

"_Well, he deserved it? He killed the other princess, even though he liked her. The servant was evil, too."_

"_Nuh-uh! He just had to do what she said. And it was his idea to trade places. Because he was so nice and loved her."_

"_That was stupid. He should've saved them both. He's a bad brother for abandoning his sister. Now she'll be unhappy for the rest of her life without him. I would never ever do something like that!" _

"_Really? You promise?"_

"_Yeah, I promise. I'll always be here to protect you."_

* * *

Rin's eyes popped open all of a sudden, a shiver coursing through her body. She blinked rapidly a couple of times in order to clear away the sleepiness. "Ah, it was that dream..." she whispered softly.

"Feeling better?" Miku immediately posed the crucial question upon hearing her voice. She walked over and took a seat on the edge of the girl's bed.

"Yeah," she replied with a weak smile as she sat up. "My head still feels kind of woozy and fuzzy, but I'm okay."

"That's great to hear. I was getting a bit worried. You slept through the whole morning... And half the afternoon," the tealette revealed. The red digits of the alarm clock showed the time to be 3:09 p.m.

"Crap, what about my date?" she screeched, gripping her blanket as she started to freak out. "And where's Len-nii?"

"Yeeaaaah, about that..." Miku fell silent for a moment, scratching her cheek with a finger, unsure regarding how she should continue. _I just have to say it as it is, loud and clear._ "I helped Len-kun cross-dress and sent him on the date in your place."

"YOU WHAAAAAATTT?" she shrieked, lunging forward and digging her nails into Miku's shoulders. The female Kagamine was livid with fury burning in her eyes, nostrils flaring.

"Rin-chan, that hurts," she whimpered. "Like I said, Len-kun's on your date, masquerading as you."

"There's no way he agreed to that," she added sceptically, still glowering. Her grip gradually loosened on her friend, though. "Not in a million years. I'm sure of that."

"Well, it wasn't easy to convince him, that's for sure. I had to tell him over and over again that it's for your sake," the tealette elaborated on the morning's events. "Do you think anything else would've been able to tear him away from your side while you're sick? So don't be mad at him, because it was all my idea." She raised her hands in front of herself, palms facing towards Rin.

"Oh shit, this can't be happening. This is awful. The worst scenario possible. I can't believe he..." she broke off mid-sentence, clamping her palm onto her mouth in distress.

_Rin-chan cursed twice within the minute... Oh, she's upset alright, _Miku concluded. _In case I couldn't tell from the vice grip she had me in earlier. _

The blonde snatched her cell phone from the bedside table with a swift movement. Her eyes widened in alarm as she looked at its screen. Remaining silent, she concentrated on pressing the buttons. A troubled sigh left her lips once she was finished and put it back in its place. Her cheeks were slightly flushed; perhaps from a returning fever, perhaps from her irritated state.

"Miku-chan, you _really_ shouldn't have. I told you before, Len-nii's fragile..." she scolded her roommate with a stern expression. She mounted up a couple of pillows and relaxed onto them.

"I know that. But he didn't excessively freak out over it. See? This is how much he cares about you. Or would you have preferred cancelling the date and completely missing your chance with Piko?" the tealette inquired. _I have to calm her down before Len-kun gets back. I told him everything would be fine... I mustn't let him down._

"No, it's not that simple. Far from it. Damn, it's all so messed up now..." Rin grumbled, shaking her head in a displeased manner.

"Don't worry, Piko won't notice the difference. Luka-chan came over to do his, I mean your, make-up and she didn't suspect a thing. Have faith in your brother; he can definitely pull off being you," the tealette attempted to reassure the girl, placing a hand on hers.

"But it's pointless if I'm not the one on the date! It was supposed to help _me_ decide... And now, all it accomplished was getting him involved. I'm making him suffer, in the most dreadful way that exists," she complained, the pain and frustration seeping through her voice. "Like the princess and the servant."

"Princess? Servant? Rin-chan, what are you talking about?" Miku asked, the puzzlement visible on her expression.

"Do you remember The Evillious Chronicles? That television series with all those stories connected into one huge, twisty storyline? I think Len-nii and I were like, four or five years old when it began airing," she pieced the memories together little by little.

"Yeah, it seems familiar. Wasn't it originally on really late at night?" she tried recalling it. _And definitely not intended for little children..._

"Yup, it was. But we snuck out of bed to watch it anyways because the commercial made it appear so awesome. And it had twins! Of course we had to take a look if it was about twins, like us," she clarified. "The whole story wasn't about them, but the parts I'm talking about were called Daughter of Evil and Servant of Evil. Did you see those?"

"Mhmh, the rerun of them a few years later. I don't remember too much of it anymore, but gosh, I was bawling my eyes out at the end of the second part," the tealette recounted her experience.

"So did I. Naturally, Len-nii wanted to console me... He was mad at the servant for abandoning his sister by dying in her stead. That's when he promised to always be here and protect me. The definition of his promise extended to not hurting me, either; but that's another story. He... well, he became my knight from that moment on. Literally, I mean. The next day, he made a tin foil helmet and used that cardboard cylinder thing as a sword," she finished the reminiscing, a tinge of softness in her eyes.

"Aaaawww, that's so sweet~" the older girl gushed, cradling her cheeks while she tried imagining the scene. _If they're incredibly cute together now, they must've been doubly so when they were younger! And that also explains how Rin-chan thought of his pen name. After so many years, he's still faithfully her knight... _

"I know, _I know_. No doubt about it, he's the best brother in the world," Rin said, her voice brimming with warmth and gentleness, until she switched topics. "But you endangered his promise, Miku-chan. It's exactly what happened in the movie. The angry villagers came to capture them... The servant pretended to be the princess, giving her a chance to escape, and he was executed for her crimes. The difference is that there are no deaths involved this time. Only in the social sense, maybe, if anyone ever finds out."

"I... I had no idea. I'm so sorry, Rin-chan... If I knew, I'd have thought of something else," she apologized, biting on her lower lip. _So far, the plan appears to be having the opposite effect than I intended. However, this is my chance. I can give her a little insight on how much Len-kun misses her_, she reflected on her current circumstances_._ "It's just that, lately, things have changed between you two. I wanted to close the rift... I thought it'd help, if you'd get his approval of Piko and this seemed like the perfect way to achieve that."

"Geez, you and your crazy ideas... Props for convincing him to go along with it, though. I don't think he would've agreed if anyone else presented such a plan to him," the blonde remarked, the last sentence carrying vague traces of hostility.

"Maybe. But the fact is, he's doing it for _you,_" Miku stressed her point. "That's what matters the most." She received a nod in reply from her.

_I don't think she entirely gets it yet. I have to nudge her into the right direction, somehow,_ she pondered. _Perhaps I ought to try a different approach._

"I haven't really had a chance to ask you before, but how much do you like Piko? Why, even?" Miku voiced her thoughts.

"Ugh, I don't know," the blonde groaned, clutching her hair in frustration. "It's way, way complicated."

"How so?" she pressed on, crawling up on the bed to sit right next to her. "Talk to me, Rin-chan. We used to be such close friends; now I barely know what's been going on with you since the school year started."

"I know, sorry about that. Everything... became so... _different_ all of a sudden. It's all because of the class placements," she began to shed light on the matter. "All my life, I was with Len-nii. We were always 'Kagamine Rin and Len', not 'Kagamine Rin' and 'Kagamine Len'. And it was completely natural... We didn't need to have friends, because we had each other. _Always_..."

A melancholic air began to form around the blonde as her hidden thoughts surfaced. _It's my first time hearing something so personal about their life from before, even though we've known each other for a while now,_ the tealette noticed. _Were we never as close as I thought?_

"After a while, though, our parents got a little worried. They had us come here as an attempt to make us open up to others a bit. It sort of worked, because you became our friend. But we were still 'Kagamine Rin and Len' for the most part," she continued, not lingering on any details for long.

_I might not even be here, listening to her, if the dormitory room assignments were different... Our friendship is based on a mere coincidence,_ the realization echoed in her mind_. Or was it the hands of Fate itself? But, cheesiness aside, it was a very lucky something or other_.

"Until this new class placement ruined it. At first, I was convinced that our bond was strong enough to overcome it. Then, I stepped into my own classroom... And all of a sudden, I was 'Kagamine Rin'! I realized I had my _own_ identity. In a weird sort of way, I felt liberated; like a weight had been taken off of me," she said in a tone woven with happiness as she recalled her emotions from that time. "With all those new students and the novelty of high school, everyone was in search of friends and I had no reason to shyly close myself off from them."

An image of Rin's cheerful expression while she talked about her classmates on the first day popped into Miku's mind. _Yeah, she definitely seemed overjoyed about her new sense of self. Like a butterfly breaking out of her cocoon._

"Although as the days passed, that liberated feeling turned into something else. I felt _too_ light; empty, even. Being just 'Kagamine Rin' didn't seem so great anymore. I was desperately missing an important component, which I knew I had to replace... I had to fill myself up again, but I didn't know _how_," she stated, sounding melancholic once again.

"Aaaawww, Rin-chan..." the tealette cooed, pulling her friend into a hug. She nestled herself into a comfortable position before continuing.

"So I figured that just making friends with everyone in my new class would be a good way to give myself weight once more, for starters. And this is where Piko comes in... It was basically the first time a boy took genuine interest in me. Well, he was taking a genuine interest in every girl in our class on that first day, but yeah, you get the point. It inevitably made me feel a little special, paired with the sensation of discovering myself to be 'Kagamine Rin'... As that initial excitement over the situation calmed down, he was still trying to befriend me. Every other girl, too, but okay." There was no aggression in her tone as she spoke about the potential rivals for Piko's attention, only acceptance of that certainty.

_Well, I guess it's good that she's not getting carried away... Personally, I'm starting to have doubts whether this Piko guy would be good for Rin-chan or not,_ intuition cautioned her.

"And that's where it got complicated. One morning, I was sleepier than usual as I entered the classroom. For a moment, I mistook Piko for _Len-nii_; not entirely sure how I managed that, but I did." A few nervous chuckles interrupted her monologue. "Thinking back on it a bit later in the day, when I was more in control of my mental capacities, the solution occurred to me. The emptiness I felt was due to not being 'Kagamine Rin and Len' anymore. My identity was intertwined with his from the very start. Indeed, I was liberated; but in the sense that someone had cut us in half and I was missing crucial limbs and organs now. I needed artificial body parts. Since Piko bears such a likeness to my brother, a little bit personality-wise as well, I thought that he could make me whole again..."

_If Len-kun were to hear this comparison, I'm sure he'd go batcrap crazy, _she amused herself with that mental image for a moment.

"It seemed like a good theory. At the same time, I had to notice that the other girls, my new friends, were also fond of him. They called it 'love', but I couldn't consider it as such; it just didn't feel right... Mainly because they were exaggeratedly fawning over him, like demented chimpanzees. Nevertheless, it made me wonder what they based that assumption on... Perhaps it wasn't as intense as 'love', but 'romantic feelings' on the verge of blooming into something more."

_I'm totally getting déjà vu here... I was counselling the other Kagamine on the same topic this morning,_ Miku instantly made the connection. _I swear, their twin synchronization shall never cease to frighten me._

"I tried getting closer to Piko, but I began to think that he wouldn't be enough to replace what I had lost... _That's_ why I wanted to go on this date. To ascertain my own emotions, if there was even a possibility that he'd be capable of it one day," she uttered the words with a slight desperation to them.

"And this morning, I just wanted Len-nii to be here. The date and Piko completely slipped my mind. I was so caught up in finding a replacement that I didn't even consider it an option to just regain the original... I ended up drifting away from him. Even though nothing was supposed to change between us. But that time he fell asleep on my bed and held onto my arm, I was my entire self again, easy as that." A content sigh left her lips.

_Well, that goes for the both of them,_ the tealette thought while wrapping her arms more tightly around her friend.

"So, I don't know what to do anymore. One day, I'll inevitably have to separate from my brother, right? I might as well get used to it sooner rather than later. It's for the best, even though it's the most difficult thing I'll ever have to do. I can't have him all to myself... We each have our own lives to live. But there has to be another person in this gigantic universe who completes me as much as he does... _right_?" her tone wavered with uncertainty as she voiced the questions plaguing her mind.

_It sounds a lot like... Rin loves Len in that not exactly sibling way, too. I would've never figured it out on my own, though; it doesn't reflect in her actions at all. Quite the opposite, really. Not to mention, I just heard Len-kun's half this morning, so that definitely makes it easier for me to notice the link now. And honestly, I can't see them with anyone else but each other. They're like the wings of a butterfly: one can't survive without the other._ The rough outlines of a cliché plan unexpectedly appeared in Miku's thoughts. _Maybe I should lock them in the janitor's closet - with a box of Pocky - until they figure it out already._

"Wow, it really isn't as simple as it appears to be from the outside," the tealette gave her feedback. "And from what you said, I can tell that you've been thinking about it a lot. So you're on the right track, at least. But that itself might be the problem. You're thinking too much when you should be listening to your heart a little... It might be a good idea to follow your instincts a bit."

_I can't actually meddle too much into their affair. I'll just have approach their thinking to one another's, _she strategized with caution._ Giving them similar advice should do the trick, no?_

"My instincts, huh..." Rin repeated the notion to affirm it for herself.

"Also, there's no rush. Your high school life has just begun! There's still so much time for you to figure out who you need in your life and to what extent. Just have fun, and the answers will come to you on their own," Miku shared her philosophy.

"Yeah, I guess I'll do that," the blonde agreed to the idea, her lips spreading into a merry smile. "Thanks for listening to my rambling, Miku-chan. I'm a bit more at ease now."

"Before that, do keep in mind that this is all coming from someone with no experience in this area." _None that I'm free to share with you, anyways. And even that was pretty minimal._ "It's like a toddler who can't even write, trying to compose sheet music. Who's also tone-deaf and had only seen instruments in a picture book before. Just warning you."

_Ooops, I think I forgot to give the same warning to Len-kun, _she made a quick side-note to herself. _But he's probably learned by now to only listen to me at his own discretion. _

"But, I'm glad you confided in me. Don't ever forget that I'm always here to listen to you," she concluded. _This is what true friendship is about: being there for each other in times of need,_ the epiphany flashed into her mind. _Even though we drifted apart, that doesn't mean our friendship disappeared. I'll perform my song; I want to convey the emotions I filled it with. Not just to Rin-chan; everyone else, too. I want everyone to remember that bonds need to be treasured, before it's too late to repair them._

* * *

"Tadaima..." Len announced in a worn-out voice as he stepped through door.

"Okaeri!" the girls automatically greeted him from Rin's bed. They were playing cards and munching on sandwiches that Miku had prepared for them as a light snack. It was around half past 5 p.m., the afternoon sun's rays bathing the room in a soft orange light.

"Oh my gosh, I've been cloned," Rin declared in awe upon setting eyes on her brother's entire figure, her half-eaten sandwich dropping onto the bed alongside her jaw. "Dare I say, you're even _cuter_ than me!"

The boy was in the middle of pulling one of the swivel chairs next to the bed and almost sitting down on it, but the unanticipated compliment caused him to plop down onto the empty air beside the seat instead. A scarlet blush exploded onto his cheeks as he scrambled onto it to take his seat for real this time. It didn't help that both girls broke out in jolly giggles from the comical act.

"Yeah, yeah, feel free to ridicule the poor victim as usual," he commented glumly, crossing his arms atop the backrest.

"Just tell us about the date already, Len-nii," his sister ushered him on with a hint of impatience.

"Wait, Luka-chan wants to hear about it, too," Miku abruptly interjected. "But she doesn't know about the whole cross-dressing deal, so..."

"Well, I, uhhh, don't really mind telling her..." Len admitted warily. "She gives off a pretty trustworthy vibe."

_Woah, that's totally unexpected from him... _the tealette remarked. _I guess it was a good idea to start integrating her into our trio, if even he's accepting of her. _

"And I think I need her help to get all of this disgusting gunk off my face anyways," he added as an afterthought, eliciting a couple of chuckles from the girls.

"Okay, I'll invite her over," she declared happily.

* * *

"Ojamashimasu~" Luka said, stepping inside the room and slipping out of her shoes.

"Irasshai," the trio welcomed her. Rin was still lying in her bed, while Miku had moved to her own. Len had changed back into his own clothes and removed the hair accessories by then, sitting back on the chair.

"Uhhh, what's going on?" she asked in pure confusion, her gaze rapidly flitting from Len to Rin.

"It's time I explained it to you," Miku told her, beckoning for her friend to join her on her bed. "As long as you promise to keep what you hear a secret."

"Yeah, sure," the pinkette complied, taking her designated seat. She was already deep in thought, telltale creases appearing on her forehead, as she tried to construct a plausible theory from the few facts she had.

"So, the truth is that Len-kun's over here, and Rin-chan is over there," she gestured to them with her outstretched hand. Rin waved back with a smile, whereas Len gave a quick nod of his head. "And he's the one who needs your help in washing off the make-up you applied this morning."

"I... see..." Luka affirmed, deadpanning. "Why, exactly?"

"Well, Rin-chan had a fever in the morning and it would've been nearly impossible for her to go on the date. So I had the sudden idea of sending Len-kun in her place. As you can see, he was the perfect imitation of his sister," Miku exposed the situation. "That's why you saw his clothes in the bathroom."

_Strange how easily it can be put into words, while there are several complications behind the scenes..._ she mused to herself.

"Ahh, that's it?" the pinkette wondered with an amicable laugh. "It's a surprisingly tame story. But I can understand why you wouldn't want too many people finding out about it."

"With that cleared up, can we move on to the crucial part? Like, freeing my face from this horrid mask?" Len interjected irately. He took the remover tonic and cotton pads from the desk that he had brought out from the bathroom earlier and handed them to the pinkette.

"All right, all right~ Never fear, your friendly neighbourhood Luka-chan is here!" she announced, promptly getting to work. In a matter of minutes, the male Kagamine fully returned to his former self; on the exterior, at least. Beneath the surface, his pride was sure to have suffered a few scratches.

"Aaahhh, much better. Thanks, Luka-senpai. So, the date. It was all the classic things you see in movies and series," he started retelling the day's events. All the girls had him under their engrossed gaze, their attention tinting his cheeks pink. "First off, he took me to see a movie."

"Wait, what did he wear?" Rin interrupted him.

"What does it matter?" he asked back.

"Because I need to know every detail for when the girls ask on Monday!" she retorted, raising her voice. "It's one thing that you had to pretend to be me, but I'm going to have to pretend to have experienced it..."

"Ugh, okay. Jeans and a shirt," he finally answered. "As I was saying, we wa-"

"Hey, don't skip ahead! I need to know _everything,_" she interfered once again. "From the very first second to the very last. _Everything._"

"Sheesh, fine. When we met up outside the dormitory, he called m-, _you_ cute and then we walked to the movie theatre..."

As per his sister's orders, he continued to retell the date's proceedings as closely as he could: the movie ("It was epic and we have to go see it together."), the lunch at Clover Club ("That was hilarious. He basically turned into a fire-breathing dragon because the chili sauce and ketchup got mixed up."), the visit to the arcade ("You can be proud, Rin, I totally whipped his ass at that zombie game we always play."), the walk in the park ("I don't understand why girls' shoes aren't comfortable when you're supposed to _walk around_ in them.") and finally, the ride on the Ferris wheel.

"A-and then, he... uhm, leaned in real close and..." he squeezed his eyes shut as he reached the highlight of the date, his voice lowering after each word until it was almost a whisper. "He kissed me on the... cheek."

"On the cheek where?" Rin piped up right away. "Show me!"

"Erm, right here," he demonstrated, poking the spot with his finger; on his own face, of course.

"No, I meant _show_ show me. Like, a... replay... of it," she clarified, her face heating up in the slightest.

"Nuh-uh," he rejected the idea immediately. "I can't."

"Oh, yes, you sure as hell can! It was supposed to be my kiss in the first place..." she retorted, pouting for added effect.

"She's got a point," Luka sided with the blonde. "A cheek kiss is no big deal. See?"

To demonstrate her statement, she leaned over and brushed her lips against Miku's cheek for just a second. The tealette blinked in confusion as her brain processed what had just happened.

"Yeah! No big deal," she agreed quickly, putting on a laid-back smile. _I'll never get used to Luka-chan's pace,_ she added to herself. _That aside, didn't he kiss her forehead this morning? Why the sudden reluctance, then?_

The twins just stared at the pinkette, wearing identically shocked expressions. However, Rin got over it faster.

"Just do it, Len-nii," she coerced him sweetly, batting her eyelashes. "Pleeeeaaaaaase?" It was a matter of mere moments before his defences crumbled to microscopic dust molecules.

"Argh, whatever. It's not like today could get any worse," he finally subjected himself to her demand.

"Hey, why the complaining? It's not every day that you get to kiss a girl as cute as yours truly, even if it's just on the cheek," Rin teased him. "Besides, just think of yourself as the messenger bird or something. Like you're delivering it to the rightful recipient."

"If you put it that way, I guess I didn't have a choice from the beginning..." he agreed dejectedly. "Come closer and shut your eyes."

She did as she was told, scooting to the edge of the bed. Len stood up from the chair and sat down beside her. Reluctantly, he placed his hand on her shoulder. Millimetre by millimetre, he leaned in closer towards her face. Naturally, Miku and Luka had their full attention fixated on them, involuntarily inclining forward from their seat. He paused right before touching her already rosy skin, as he was about to close his eyes and diminish the remaining distance between them.

"I see shoujo sparkles..." Luka observed in a creepy whisper tone. At that second, his cheeks were set ablaze and he sprung backward. Rin's eyes popped open, looking frightened while being frozen in place. _And now you don't, _the tealette thought in regret, letting out a deep sigh.

"I can't do it after all!" he shouted, splaying out on the bed. "Too much of an audience!"

"If you want some privacy, lock yourselves in the bathroom," Miku abruptly suggested, her idea from earlier resurfacing in her mind._ It's a shame we don't have any Pocky at the moment. Well, there's always a next time for that._

"N-n-n-no way," Len stammered, bolting upright. "I'll try again."

Before he could change his mind, without allowing anyone to interrupt this time, he pressed his lips onto her cheek, and then pulled back. If either Luka or Miku had blinked, they'd have missed it.

"You couldn't have been more unromantic than that..." his sister remarked, though the blush appearing on her face seemed to prove otherwise. She touched the spot on her cheek, the illusion of a timid, yet content, smile crossing her lips for a second. Both of them looked in opposite directions, the awkwardness forming a thin wall between them as they sat side by side.

"Then I suppose you'll just have to go on another date to get a proper one," he recommended with a harsh edge to his voice. "End of story, by the way. He escorted me back here, but I was too grossed out to say anything. Luckily, he thought it was plain embarrassment and let me be. I did thank him for the 'great' time I had today before we parted. The end."

"So, am I going steady with him now or what?" Rin asked the first question that crossed her mind.

"Nah, not yet," Luka replied matter-of-factly. "He has to _properly_ ask you out for that. This was more of a test run, a chance to get to know each other better."

"Ooohh, I see," she replied, sounding relieved. "What's your impression of him, Len-nii? You saw for yourself now that's he just a regular nice guy."

"Yeah, I'm fine with you hanging out with him," her brother grudgingly admitted. The dark aura around him implied the complete opposite. "He's a decent person."

_Even though it's what I wanted,_ Miku thought to herself, s_omehow, this feels so disappointing... Is it just going to split them further apart?_

* * *

**Disclaimer:** The Evillious Chronicles, including Daughter/Servant of Evil, belongs to mothy (AkunoP).

**Author's Note:** Happy Belated New Year~ Yeah, it's been a while since the last chapter, but I hope the wait was worth it ^^ Random trivia: I've had the base idea for the plot for over a year now... And there's still a long way to go before that scene xD  
Thank you to everyone still following the story :3 I'd appreciate hearing your opinions on how you're liking it so far :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Date:** _06/15 AM 9:58_**  
To:** _Rin  
_**Subject:** _Sorry_  
**Message:  
**_I broke my promise. _

Len stood still for a moment in front of the dorm room while he sent the text. _I understand now what the servant went through. But my death's going to be slow and painful, compared to his quick decapitation. It sure sounds like a very enticing option at the moment._

After slipping his cell phone inside the small cross body bag Rin had left near the entrance the night before, he hurried across the hallway, down to the main entrance of the dormitory. According to Miku, he was supposed to meet up with Piko there. Or at least, he intended to hurry; his choice of attire wasn't exactly suitable for that. _So, picking out a skirt? Not one of my best ideas. Gah, the girls make wearing it look so easy. The leggings help, but it still feels... unusually airy. _

When the blond walked out the front door, his date was already present, waiting for him a little bit off to the side. He was dressed casually for the occasion: a pair of black jeans matched with a baby blue polo shirt. _I would've made more of an effort for my sister,_ he remarked.

"Good morning, Rin-chan!" he called out as soon as he noticed 'her'. The late morning sunlight gleamed off his pearly-white teeth that showed through his grin. _Tch, toothpaste-commercial smile. _"You look very cute today. Like always."

_Ugh, there he goes over-flattering me right from the start..._ Len grumbled internally, while retaining a bright smile on the outside as he arrived in front of him.

"Th-thanks," he replied, forcing the stutter and averting his gaze. _This is how I'd expect her to react. Or rather, I hope she's not used to getting called cute so soon in the day... _"Sorry for making you wait."

"Oh, not at all. But let's get going, I don't want to waste a single minute of the precious time we have together today," Piko suggested, holding out his palm for Len to accept.

_Actually, he's the one in need of a beheading,_ he decided as he carefully placed his hand in the boy's. It took all his self-control to not punch him in the face.

* * *

"Here we are," Piko announced, coming to a halt in front of the town's movie theatre. _Awesome, I get an hour and half break from his annoying prattling in that annoying voice! _

The silver-haired youth had indeed spent most of the stroll talking about trivial little things. Len could easily avoid it turning into an actual conversation by feigning ultimate shyness and giving him minimal responses.

_For a new guy, he sure knows his way around town already,_ Len remarked. _No doubt he's already taken at least half the girls in our grade out on a date. Through the exact same events, even. _

"Which one would you like to watch?" he courteously asked, gesturing towards the several posters on the wall. "I'm sure anything Rin-chan picks will be great."

"Uhm..." Len began to say, cutely resting his index finger on his chin in deep thought as he gazed at the options. _Should I choose what she'd _actually_ choose, or what she'd think would give the best impression of herself in choosing? The gap between the two is huge... I don't want to show him the real Rin, but I don't want him falling for a fake Rin..._ "Ah, I can't really decide... The one that starts the soonest will be okay."

"All right then," he agreed to the suggestion. They headed towards the cashier; luckily, there was only a short queue in front of it. The same could be said about the concession stand, where Piko bought drinks and a large order of popcorn for the both of them.

They received tickets near the back of the viewing room. The movie was set to start at 11, in roughly ten minutes. Much to Len's relief, it wasn't overly crowded, but there were enough people around to keep Piko from pulling anything weird. It also allowed them to have the popcorn on the armrest in between them and keep their drinks on their own side.

The lights mounted on the walls dimmed, the curtain rose to reveal the big screen. As the obligatory commercials showed up on screen, the viewers stopped their chatter. Finally, the main event could begin.

The clamour of swords clashing together resounded from the speakers, while vivid crimson flames burst across the screen. The movie's title, Lost Destination, materialized in elegant, gothic lettering.

_Great, a movie about knights is _just_ what I wanted to see right now,_ Len bitterly remarked to himself. He plunged his hand into the bag of popcorn; it was not the salty, buttery treat he grabbed a handful of, but Piko's butter soft hand instead. He immediately pulled back, scattering some kernels over the both of them in the process.

"Sorry!" the blond exclaimed in a whisper. "I-I didn't mean to, I just..."

"It's okay, don't worry about it," the silver-haired youth responded to his apology, smiling as usual. He carefully dislodged a piece that was stuck in Len's hair.

"Th-thanks..." he mumbled, turning his gaze towards the screen. _I'm going to throw up before the day is over. I just know it._

Len spent the remainder of the movie improving his peripheral vision: while looking strictly at the screen, he only stole quick side-glances towards Piko whenever he moved to take some popcorn or have a sip of his drink. He had to really fight the urge not to scoot to the far edge of his seat and also to leave his hand on the armrest in the middle as he had carelessly done so after the mini popcorn fiasco.

The silver lining of this otherwise horribly stormy cloud was the movie itself: it turned out to be a very exciting story, right to the very last frame. Granted, it wasn't a very straightforward plotline, but it was the impression he had at the end that counted. And that... he couldn't quite put into words, it was so intensely grandiose. _It would be so much better if I could have watched it with Rin and Miku-chan. Heck, at this point, I wouldn't even mind it if even Shion and Luka-senpai came along, _he observed.

"Wow, that was one spectacular movie," Piko commented as they filed out of the viewing room at a leisurely pace.

"Mhm, sure was!" Len quickly agreed, with the extra enthusiasm he'd expect from the female Kagamine, although he didn't have to fake it too much. "Seriously, epic from start to finish."

"How about discussing all this epicness over an epic lunch at Clover Club?" the boy suggested, the smile not fading for a second. _Is his mouth permanently stuck like that or what?_

"Sounds good," he agreed to the proposal. _The more money I can extort out of this freak, the better!_

* * *

Since most of the entertainment establishments were clustered in one certain part of town, the distance between the cinema and the restaurant was just a short walk. It was 1 pm by the time they got there; just the end of the lunch hour rush.

As they stepped inside, Len quickly scanned the place, in search of Kaito. It was lively as usual, but there still were several empty tables they could choose from. The waiters and waitresses scurried up and down through the aisles, but the source of his school day troubles wasn't among them. _Good, he's off today,_ he concluded.

"Let's sit over there," the blond took the initiative, pointing to a quaint little table for two in a fairly secluded corner. Piko nodded with a smile and allowed him to lead the way. _Tch, and I used to think Shion smiled too much. He's nothing compared to this guy! If I had a hundred yen coin for each time he smiled today, I'd be spending my summer on the Bahamas this year. And probably the next, at this rate._

"Yo, Kagamine-chan!" a familiar voice called out to Len from a distance, completely disregarding the presence of his companion. He turned around to see Kaito come out through swinging double doors, balancing several plates. _Or he was just in the kitchen. Evidently, why would the universe let me off easy today, of all days?_

"Hi, Shion-san," he returned the greeting, waving to him as he took his seat. Lucky for Len, a different waitress (most likely a new part-timer, for he had never seen the girl with shoulder length, peach-pink hair before) showed up earlier than his friend to take the couple's order, once they had had a few minutes to browse through the menu.

During the wait for their meal to arrive, Piko tried starting up a conversation again. This time, Len was slightly more responsive. He had to tread lightly on the border between portraying Rin idealistically and realistically, after all.

It wasn't long before the girl returned with their food: yaki soba and orange juice for Len, a glass of Coke and tempura udon for Piko. They began eating after the habitual 'itadakimasu' exchange.

"Ack, it burns!" the silver-haired boy exclaimed after swallowing the first spoonful. The intense reddening of his complexion was accompanied by a panic-stricken expression. _His face isn't stuck in a smile after all, _Len observed, highly amused by his companion's misfortune. He couldn't resist letting out a few sinister chuckles before switching over to feigning worry.

Piko promptly dropped the utensil and reached for the glass. He gulped down half its contents, until his face turned as red as a well-boiled crab. He turned his head sideways, so as to avoid getting his date wet, and spluttered the drink into the aisle between the tables. He jumped up from his seat and ran towards the washroom, not without almost slipping on the puddle. By then, the scene had caught everyone's attention in the restaurant. Kaito sauntered over with a satisfied smirk, carrying a mop and bucket to clean up the mess.

"Did you...?" the blonde wondered, leaving the end of the question hanging.

"Kagamine-chan, watch out with Piko. He follows the harem route during the week and concentrates on individual flags on the weekends," he informed Len, keeping his voice low and seemingly concentrating on the task at hand. "And let's just say he's been playing the game for quite a while."

"So you do this every time?" he asked. "How are you not fired yet, treating a long-time customer like that?"

"Oh, no, I don't waste the chef's treasured chili sauce on any girl. You have to be a friend's sister to receive such special treatment. And accidents happen sometimes, nothing to be done about that," Kaito replied coolly, now looking at 'her' after finishing the clean-up, using the mop's handle for support.

"Then, thanks. For this and for being Len-nii's friend," he told him with a genuinely appreciative smile. _Maybe it really isn't so bad to have a person or two that you can call a friend._

"Glad to be of service. But I gotta be on my way now. The orders won't fill themselves..." he declared with a lamenting sigh. "See you around."

Moments after Kaito left for the kitchen, Piko exited the washroom and made his way back towards their table. The waitress soon reappeared, bringing another bowl of udon as compensation for the earlier 'mistake'.

* * *

Following their lunch at Clover Club, the two of them paid a visit to the nearby arcade that went by the name of *Hello, Planet. The trio frequently ended up there on rainy days when they had nothing else to do.

A myriad of sounds, ranging from piercing gunshots to annoyingly repetitive game theme songs, assaulted their ears from the second the automatic doors whooshed open to let them inside.

_If he even _dares_ suggest going into one of those tacky photo booths, I won't hesitate to break, or at least sprain, his fingers_, the blonde telepathically sent the threat towards its potential recipient. _Offense is the best defence, so..._

"Hey, let's play with that!" Len suggested, pointing towards a game console near the back, without anyone standing in line for it. Piko nodded (and smiled) in agreement, so the two of them headed towards it.

The game was called Zombie Mash Revolution: the unlikely combination of a two-player rhythm dancing game with a zombie apocalypse plotline. _With this, I can show him that Rin's a force to be reckoned with! We've been the record-holders for this game for ages. _

"Don't expect me to go easy on you," he teasingly warned Piko in advance.

"I wouldn't want you to, Rin-chan. It's only fair if we both give it all we got," he stated in full confidence.

After slipping out of their shoes, they stepped onto the mats to begin their match, with Piko inserting the coins for each round. What started out as friendly competition soon turned into a serious battle. Len couldn't let his attention falter in the slightest, for that would've presented a chance for his opponent to overcome the small gap in points between them. And yet, he actually found himself... having fun.

All of a sudden, he sensed his bag vibrate from receiving a text message. Without a second thought, he stepped off the mat to check. He rummaged around for a short while among the contents of what held more resemblance to a black hole. At last, he found his cell phone and flipped it open in a hurry, paying no attention whatsoever to Piko finally gaining a win over him.

**Date:** _06/15 PM 3:11_**  
From:** _Rin  
_**Subject:** _RE: Sorry_  
**Message:  
**_Just a little. But I forgive you. No dying, okay? And, thanks._

His eyes skimming over the message again and again, shivers crawled across his skin as a sharp, prickly pain pierced straight through his heart to the point of stopping his breath for a transient moment. It was almost like someone stabbed a dagger into the middle of the interlinking steel chains constricting his heart, pulling them together to tighten their fatal grip on the fragile organ.

Fragmented thoughts muddled together in his head.

_Rin... Rin... Rin... forgiven... _

_ Why, why the pain... _

_ Thanks... for what? _

_ For what? _

_ For saving the date?_

_ ...No, don't want it..._

_ It hurts. So much... _

_ But, it can't be any other way. _

The million little murmurs ceased as the agony culminated. He bit down on his tongue, sensing an irony taste in his mouth._ I'll bear the burden of my torturous emotions. I'll always protect her. It's the only thing I can do for my sister._

"Rin-chan, are you okay? You seem a little pale..." Piko wondered, breaking Len out of his reverie.

"Ah, yeah, I'm fine," he replied, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible while closing the cell phone and slipping it back inside the bag. With renewed determination, he stepped onto the game mat again. "That one didn't count, all right?"

_I'm going crazy... there's no way that this kind of reaction to a simple text is healthy,_ he began to ponder while his feet moved mechanically to the rhythm. _Oh yeah, because cross dressing as your own sister and going on her date is the epitome of mental sanity._

* * *

They kept playing for over an hour: they were nearing the limits of their endurance, but they used up Piko's change faster than they ran out of energy. At that point, he announced that there was one last place he wanted to take Rin: the park.

They wandered around on the cobblestone path (holding hands, to Len's utmost chagrin, but he couldn't really refuse), steadily heading towards the middle of the park, where the Ferris wheel stood.

The person supervising the attraction opened the door to the cabin and gestured for the pair to step inside. Heeding his warning to remain seated at all times while on the ride, Len plopped down in the middle of plastic-covered seat and Piko joined him on his left. The door closed and the cabin was set into motion moments later in the company of a large creak. They slowly gained altitude, the extent of Otoshima's scenery unfolding in front of them.

"Wow, it's gorgeous..." Len spoke softly, his eyes gleaming with fascination. Truth be told, the trio hadn't taken the time yet go on the ride. In undesirable company or not, the view enchanted him. _I want to show this to Rin, and Miku-chan, too._

"Not as gorgeous as you," Piko complimented him, scooting closer and tilting the blonde's face towards him by the chin. The sudden contact and proximity paralyzed Len's body, while his every instinct was screaming at him to run, run far away.

The silver-haired boy's lips drew ever closer to his own. _Screw my life._ That's as much as his brain could come up with, in terms of coherency.

Just as he was about to lose his first kiss to the person he despised, things took a turn for the better as he felt the sensation of the other's lips on his cheek instead. Alas, the immense relief was very short-lived.

"Sorry to break it to you, but I don't swing that way. I'm 100% a ladies' man," Piko murmured into Len's ear. He instinctively slid back on the seat, until he bumped into the wall of the cabin. _Even though he'd be such a 2-in-1 deal for players on both teams_, the thought unintentionally slipped into his mind.

"Wh-what do you mean?" the blond asked, his expression paling rapidly. _No, it can't be._ "Aren't I lady-like enough?"

"Cut the crap, Kagamine. I know you're not Rin-chan," he exposed the truth, sneering evilly. The mask of a perfect Prince Charming that he wore all day long shattered in an instant. _I think I'm actually starting to miss his smile. _

"D-don't be so m-mean... Who else would I b-be?" Len whimpered, attempting to look at him with puppy dog eyes and pouty lips. _It's impossible for him to have figured it out..._

"There's no point in denying it. I admit, you played your role perfectly. But you messed up two things," Piko told him, his lips curling into a smirk as he approached him, blocking off all means of escape by pressing one hand against the cabin wall and the other against the seat. "For a 'girl' who supposedly wears a skirt every day as a part of the uniform, you sure walked around awkwardly enough. And it wasn't Rin-chan's cell phone you used at the arcade. There's an orange-shaped charm dangling from hers, not a banana."

_I can still save myself. Think, think, think..._ he strained his brain cells. _What would a girl blame these things on?_

"Geez, my phone broke so I'm borrowing his for the day. The other thing, well, th-that's because..." he paused for a moment for added effect, before continuing in a much quieter voice. "It's _that_ time of the month..."

"Do you really want to make this so hard on yourself?" Piko asked, rolling his eyes and jeering down at him.

"Please, this isn't funny at all..." Len tried softening him up, bowing his head and turning away from the boy.

"Oh, quite the opposite, actually," he stated with a chuckle. Giving no warning at all, he reached into his shirt and pulled out a wad of tissues. Len snapped his head up, the colour draining from his complexion. "Be grateful I didn't expose you in public."

_Well, crap. I can't talk my way out of this,_ the futility of the situation finally dawned upon him. _But if talking won't help, then..._

"Pervert!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, all the while managing to retain its feminine aspect. Piko just laughed.

"Really now? No one's going to help you up here, idiot," he informed him. An immediate reply eluded Len. All he could think of doing was to seize the tissues and hurriedly fix his padding.

At the same time, he heard the 'click' of a snapshot being taken. He raised his head to see Piko holding his cell phone, with the camera aimed towards him. The blonde gritted his teeth to keep the inner terror he experienced from showing on his expression.

"You scumbag... What do I need to do for you to delete that photo?" he spat the words with a resentful edge to them.

"Done with the denial, huh. Wise decision," Piko remarked haughtily. "If you keep your mouth shut about me, I'll keep my mouth shut about you. I'm a gentleman, after all. And hand over Rin-chan to me."

"That's the one thing I _won't_ do. What do you need my sister for anyways, when you've got a dozen others to choose from? Leave her out of your petty little game," Len snapped back at him, boiling with anger.

"No, that's not how it works. I'm the one holding the blackmail material, which means that _you_ have no choice but to do whatever _I_ demand," he lectured him to establish his superiority. "Unless you want her reputation ruined, that is."

_I'm sorry Rin, I failed at protecting you. For real, this time,_ he admitted regretfully after quickly analyzing the possible outcomes of his options. He could feel the grip of the chains contorting his heart again.

"Fine, you win. But if you're as much of a gentleman as you pretend to be, promise me one thing: that you'll leave her for last," Len made a final attempt at bringing the best out of the awful situation.

"That's a reasonable request I can comply to," Piko agreed to his terms. He finally slid away, putting some much needed space in between them.

Without the boys noticing, the Ferris wheel had made a full rotation. It shortly came to a grinding halt and the ride supervisor opened the cabin's door. Len jumped out of his seat and stormed out, not once looking back at Piko.

He walked back to the dormitory at a fastened pace, all the while mumbling creative torture methods under his breath.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** Lost Destination belongs to 150P, NND code is sm15271378.

**Author's Note: **I-i-it's not like I'm specially posting this chapter on Valentine's Day for my dear readers or anything! /lame tsundere impression

Anyways, with this chapter, the Kagamine-subplot is halfway done now. To those waiting for the Kaito x Miku stuff to happen, it's coming soon. It just needs proper build-up in advance.

A big thank you to everyone who's still following the story ^^


	14. Chapter 14

_You are standing in the middle of the school hallway, but something seems off. At first, you perceive the walls to be wider than usual. You soon notice that the sense of weirdness is due to the amount of students: it's like everyone decided to come out of the classrooms at the same time and loiter around for no apparent reason._

_You notice that you're carrying a huge stack of plates. It's imperative that you take them to the cafeteria right now._

_You start walking down the hallway, avoiding the living obstacles in your way. Suddenly, you spot Se Takai-kun a short distance ahead. You sneak after him, using the crowd to your advantage to remain hidden from his view; it's almost like any other day, if there weren't suddenly twice as many corridors to go through before reaching the main doors of the building._

_You still have the plates. You're halfway across the school grounds now. You want to keep following him. You sigh and turn to head towards the cafeteria building. You frequently glance back to him as he walks to the gates._

_A loud noise startles you so much that you drop the plates. They instantly shatter upon contact with the pathway, entirely surrounding you with innumerable white fragments._

* * *

Miku's eyes blinked open as the noise registered in her mind to be the alarm clock. She turned off the contraption immediately, whilst trying to retain images from the dream in her memory. _School... Shion-kun... stalking him in the halls. And plates. _

"Why... plates?" The sheer randomness of it just begged to be asked out loud, whereas the other possible question was best left unasked.

_Don't overthink it._ The tealette brusquely shook her head, as a means of forcing the dream's pieces to sink down to the deep, dark bottom of her conscious, where several other dreams following a similar script all resided. Frankly, it was getting quite cluttered, but there were other things for her to concentrate on. Namely, the fast-approaching Midsummer Music Festival.

* * *

The after school hours of the last week preceding Kaion Academy's event were comprised of preparations 'til sundown. There was much to be taken care of: deciding the final set list, adjusting the lightings and special effects accordingly, making and mending the costumes, getting all the instruments into tip-top shape and accommodating – sometimes even creating – the choreographies to fit the stage they were setting up in the large field between the middle school and high school buildings. And with much work, comes much improvising.

"Ooopsies, no opening number yet... Hey, Miku-chan?"

"What is it, Gumi-sensei?"

"You'll be first up with Yellow, okay?"

"Uhhh, well, okay I guess... If no one else wants to do it."

"Then, I'll be counting on you. Good thing the costume probably still fits you perfectly."

That's how a large number of things got decided on.

With all the scurrying and hurrying on school grounds to have everything ready in time, it meant lots of working together with music students of all grades and classes from the middle school and high school sections.

For Miku, it inevitably implied bumping into Kaito again. She _tried_ avoiding him at first, she really did: taking different routes while carrying stuff, hiding behind trees when necessary, that sort of thing. But it's not easily feasible when he was assigned to be playing the drums in her songs and he also gave a hand in modifying the choreographies. As an added difficulty factor, she could never really repress that tiny surge of simple happiness she'd feel upon hearing his voice or seeing his stunningly blue eyes and cute face.

It was only a small solace that she wasn't actually ever left alone with him: the presence of others eased the sense of awkwardness dwelling (and ominously thriving) in her mind. Small, since most of her friends were all elsewhere, when they weren't rehearsing their songs. Rin was often in the art room, helping with decorations for the stage – she was pretty decent when it came to the fine arts. Luka was usually occupied with fixing up costumes. Len was around the most, being quite adept at handling the backstage technical side of a concert. Since Miku sucked at drawing anything more elaborate than a spring onion scribble, sooner succeeded at sticking a needle in her own finger than the fabric itself, and got dizzy from just looking at the number of holes on the speakers to insert cables into, that left her doing the various minor tasks that popped up now and then, here and there. Thanks to everyone's strong determination to make the concert a success, they had managed to finish everything by Thursday evening.

* * *

In the spirit of it being the longest day of the year, the concert was scheduled to start around noon and last until the final rays of sunlight disappeared below the horizon; it was like a musical accompaniment to the sun's glorious descent across the early summer sky.

Considering it was still a Friday and only two weeks remained before the end-of-semester exams, the teachers insisted on holding the morning classes. It was an idea destined to be doomed: not only were the music students exhausted from the preparations, but so were some of the others as well, who had helped by setting up food stands a short distance away from the stage. The only upside was that everyone was napping at school and thus wouldn't be late for the festival.

Once the bell's chimes brought their studies to an end for the day, the students scrambled out of the buildings to take the best spots in front of the stage. The grassy field was soon strewn with colourful picnic blankets, while the organizers and performers scurried around to make the final checks on all the equipment.

Miku – who was supposed to be first up (since no one else had showed any interest in taking the position following her arbitrary nomination, as they weren't too fond of having the responsibility of starting the concert weigh down on them) after Gumi-sensei's opening comments – was sitting in full attire on a stray folding chair behind one of the tents used as a dressing room, with her knees pulled up and clutching her stomach. It wasn't the first time she had to perform in front of a crowd, but it _was_ the first time she was at the beginning of it: after repressing the irrational worries about it for days, the stage fright had finally caught up with the aspiring singer. Her gaze was fixated on the dirt path in front of her, newly-formed from all the walking around the area, while her head buzzed with demoralizing notions.

_I can't do this, after all. It was awfully pretentious of me to take the spot. Yeah, I wanted to decrease Gumi-sensei's problems by one, but really, I've just made it a problem for later! All those people looking at me, expecting me to blow them away with an amazing opening number... that's not something I'm capable of yet! There are so many brilliant, talented students who would be much better suited for it, even if they didn't have the courage to apply for it right away. They just didn't want to seem conceited, I'm sure. So now I, all thanks to my phony helpfulness, am going to single-handedly destroy what we all worked so hard on for the past week. I should never be allowed on stage again! Better yet, I should never be allowed to si-_

"Oh, Chibikko-senpai," the familiar voice cut through to her thoughts. She involuntarily snapped her head towards his direction while the rest of her body tensed up, slightly frightened by his sudden appearance. The amount of knots in her stomach doubled. _Yay, the last person I'd want to see right now. _

"Something wrong?" Kaito inquired after a few moments of silence, with a tinge of concern in his tone. He took a few steps closer to the tealette.

"No, I'm fine," she replied automatically, trying her best to not sound distraught. There was one thing the tealette had mastered that week: speaking to Kaito in a normal voice without squeaking or stuttering, so it reassured her a bit that her acquired skill was applicable under abnormal circumstances, too. It would've been an exaggeration to say they've become friends, but they weren't that estranged from each other anymore, either.

"Why of course, sitting on a chair all scrunched up like a hedgehog is the dictionary definition of being 'fine'. Yep, totally normal," he calmly made his argument, crossing his arms and slightly nodding his head. "I'm taking a wild guess here, but could you possibly be having stage fright?" There was a teasing edge to the way he asked.

"Don't be silly, I have no reason to be scared," she answered with a scoff, turning her face the other way. _I don't want to show him such a pathetic side to me... I have to set an example as his senpai. I mustn't doubt myself. _As quickly as they had doubled, the knots unravelled themselves, unwrapping a fragment of stubborn resolve. After a short pause, she lowered her feet onto the ground and straightened her posture. "It was just part of my pre-concert routine. Helps the blood flow, you know."

Both of them knew that that was probably a complete and utter falsification, a lame excuse made up in haste. Yet, Kaito had enough delicacy to refrain from calling her out on it.

"Well, I need to get going now, the concert's starting soon. See you later," she said composedly, standing up in a way she hoped to seem full of confidence.

Miku started to walk away from him, towards the stage's location. Soon afterwards, she could hear his footsteps approaching as he easily caught up to her. She looked over to him, clearly puzzled as to why he'd be following her.

"I'm playing the drums in your song, remember?" he replied with a cheery smile, easily guessing the cause of her mild confusion.

"Ah. Right," she hastily mumbled, feeling a little embarrassed at her foolish oversight.

Kaito's presence kept her mind clear on their short walk to the stage.

* * *

"Pap-pa-para~!" Gumi leapt onto the stage with the brightness of a supernova, shouting into the microphone the catchphrase she's been using recently. She tended to cycle through them regularly, much to the students' amusement, but this one appeared to be staying for good.

"Yaahhooo, everyone~!" she greeted the audience with a wide grin and waving with her free hand. "It's a gorgeous day for a concert, ain't it? The sun's a-shinin', the summer breeze's a-blowin'... It makes you wanna go on vacation already! But, y'all gotta hold up a li'l longer for that and pass your exams first."

The green-haired teacher casually ambled around as she loosened up the audience, gesticulating with her hands. The speakers projected her voice across the grounds, attracting those who've been loitering around until the start.

"Ah, but y'all aren't here to listen to me spout depressing stuff... No, today's all about having lots of fun and taking it easy! Y'all ready to get this concert started?" she asked them, pointing the microphone towards the crowd up front. She received a couple of lively cheers in response.

"Huh, looks like everyone's still a bit sleepy and not in high enough spirits yet... No worries! We'll fix that right away. I mean really, Hatsune Miku-chan's super-lively song, Yellow, is sure to give everyone a huge boost of energy!"

That was the cue for the tealette to take the teacher's place on stage. As Gumi exited to the left, Miku skipped up from the right and stood in the middle. When she had taken her spot, the band behind her began to play.

At the very moment the first note reached her ears, a joyous grin blossomed onto her lips. Almost as if someone flipped on a switch inside her, her body automatically moved according to the choreography she had rehearsed all week long. All of a sudden, she couldn't wait to start belting out the lyrics to it.

_I can do it. It's my song. I know this by heart. And I want to make everyone smile with it._

* * *

The festival carried on smoothly without any major incidents (though there were plenty of minor ones), the performers giving their best effort and the audience cheering for them in high spirits. During the planning phase, Miku had taken advantage of her position to make sure that the set list was arranged in a way that allowed the group of friends to watch each other's performances between getting ready for their own. As such, they went on stage at hourly intervals: after Miku's opening act, she sang Sakasama Rainbow with Rin, then the Kagamine twins sang Remote Control, followed by Luka with Just Be Friends.

The hours simply sped by, as they often did during fun times. The fast-paced energetic songs gradually gave way to slower ballads to fit the dusk ambiance. That's when the tealette returned to the stage on her own again, to sing her recently composed song.

Instead of a fancy outfit, she just wore her school uniform and there was no special dance routine prepared; she didn't want anything to distract attention from the message she wanted to convey with the lyrics. Throughout the day, her anxiety had fluctuated between non-existent and all-consuming. At one point, she came close to calling the whole thing off, but then she remembered all the help she had gotten from the others that she absolutely couldn't allow to go to waste because of her sudden changes in confidence, not to mention all the trouble she'd cause by upsetting the schedule. It wasn't just about her original motivation of mending the bond between their trio anymore.

After Gumi announced her to the audience, she walked up to the microphone with trembling legs. There was no sense of familiarity for her to rely on this time to dispel her worrying. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes to clear her mind. As a signal to the band members to begin, she used her fingers to count down from three.

"_Bokura anna ni naka yokatta no ni  
Bokura sanzan asobi mawatta no ni  
Toki ga sugite yuku hodo,  
Kuchikazu mou heri surechigaunda, aah  
La la la la la la..."_

Falling into perfect tune with the instruments joining in one after the other, she opened her eyes and let her gaze wander across the crowd, a melancholic smile gracing her lips. She refrained from looking in the direction of her friends; she didn't want to see their reactions until she was finished. Even though Miku tried to concentrate strictly on singing, the lyrics brought to mind all sorts of little scenes and memorable moments from the past two years she had spent with the Kagamines and all that had changed in the past couple of months.

_When I started writing this song, it seemed like the brilliant days of our friendship were coming to an end. I wanted them to remember, because it felt like the memories of those times were about to be forgotten, as if they barely mattered in the first place. I just couldn't let that happen; I promised I'd fix things. But after that whole cross-dressing date thing, maybe our friendship isn't in as much danger as I thought. It's perfectly fine that we're making new friends, but we're still sticking together. Our bond is still there, but we're starting to share it with Luka-chan and Shion-kun as well now. _

Once the last beat had sounded, a round of applause replaced it. The tealette took a bow and hurriedly left the stage as the clapping died down. She started walking over to her friends along the edge of the crowd and met up with them halfway.

Rin and Len instantly enveloped her in a huge hug from both sides and she reciprocated the motion. There was no need for words to be exchanged between them, not right away at the very least.

* * *

The Midsummer Music Festival's last number was Gumi's Yowamushi Montblanc and the teacher wrapped up the event as the setting sun disappeared below the horizon with a short speech expressing her gratitude towards the student body's participation. Afterwards, they quickly got to work and started disassembling everything they had set up. This was a much faster process, achieved in a matter of hours. By then, the night sky was illuminated with stars.

The tight pace of the past few days had the students all tuckered out, to the point where they were just revelling in the blissful feeling of completion before heading home; fighting gravity to stand onto their feet was just too much of a hassle to handle yet, for most of them.

"Hey guys, good work. Here, I brought you something to drink," Miku greeted Len and Kaito, who were chilling near the stage (the one thing that wasn't the students' task to take apart), sitting on the grass.

She sat down opposite of them, presenting a banana soda to the former and a can of iced coffee to the latter.

"Thanks, Miku-chan," Len said, taking the beverage from her and immediately opening it up.

"You're awesome, Chibikko-senpai," Kaito noted with a huge grin as he took his drink. "How'd you know iced coffee's my favourite?"

"Uh, just a lucky guess?" she replied hastily, looking away from him. _That was a close one. I only knew about it by accident and happened to remember..._ She caught Len smirking for a second while he took a long sip of his soda.

"Ah, found you all!" Rin called out to them from a short distance away. Miku turned to see the blonde approaching with Luka beside her. They sat down on either side of the tealette.

"Since when do you get along so well with my brother?" the pinkette whispered to her.

"Huh? Say what now?" Miku retorted immediately, scrunching her eyes in mild confusion.

"You." The pinkette pointed at her friend.

"My brother." She discreetly pointed at Kaito, who was busy chatting with Len to notice anyways.

"Getting along." She showed a thumbs up.

"He's your brother?!" the tealette exclaimed in utter astonishment, eyes going wide and jaw dropping low, while she tried her best to keep her voice low so the boys wouldn't hear her outburst.

_No. Freaking. Way._ _No. Freaking. Way. No... Freaking... Way... No! Freaking! Way! _

Miku's thoughts were stuck in an infinite loop. Restructuring the past almost 3 months' worth of memories in light of the new piece of information was an overwhelming task.

"Well of course, you had to have known since you met him when you checked up on him during Golden Week, right?" Luka wondered with all due reason.

_And the award for major screw-up of the year goes to Hatsune Miku._

"Uhh, yes! Yes indeed. I did go and see him. Honest! I just, sorta, um, got confused and made some really stupid assumptions..." she blabbered, looking at the blades of grass in front of her and idly twiddling her fingers.

"How in the world did you manage that? When you went to my place, you must've actually talked to him or something, no?" she continued asking about the matter.

"I thought... he was someone else... like, just his friend," Miku clarified, finally turning her face towards Luka and worriedly gritting her teeth as if she had just accidentally broken a prized possession of hers and is really remorseful about it now. "I'm really, really sorry."

"Oh, it's fine, there's no need for you to apologize," Luka assured her, lightly chuckling. "It's pretty funny, actually, how the whole thing just flew over your head. And gosh, your expression was priceless."

After that point, the tealette sort of lost track of her surroundings and just mechanically went along with everything. Physical reality loses its importance in the middle of a mental breakdown.

_Shion-kun was Luka-chan's brother all along. My new friend is his sister. It's... happening to me _again_? Well, in reverse, I suppose. And this time, he's also a close friend's friend. Damn it, I'd be so screwed. I definitely, definitely can't let my impulses take control. It'd be too messy, if things were to take a turn for the worse... Wait what no, where am I thinking. I'm past that already. Actually, I never went there. Nope, not at all. I already turned back a while ago. I really did. And totally not thinking of going anywhere near it anymore._

_Damn it, just how huge of an oblivious idiot can I be?_

* * *

**Disclaimer: **Yellow belongs to kz/livetune. Miku's song was Limit Friends and it belongs to Koman, the NND code is sm8910415.

**Author's Note:** I haven't forgotten about this story yet! I fully intend to finish it, because I haven't even reached the scenes that had me wanting to start writing it in the first place... And there's plenty of KaitoxMiku to come, I promise. I can't say anything about when the next chapter will be up, though... This one took so long in the first place because Homestuck (and tumblr) took over my life back in March, so who knows what sort of obsession catches me next.

Anyways, a huge _huge_ **_huge_** thank you to anyone still reading it, I love you all :D


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note:** Wow, would you look at that, a new chapter after uhh... 3 and half years? Sorry to everyone who's been holding their breath and waiting for an update (if indeed there are still any people like that). I read through my previous chapters, and was I ever wordy... I can't say my writing has improved, but I would assume it /has/ changed from that. (In the mean time, I wrote a short multi-chapter story, Cafe Latte, and a longer-than-it-was-supposed-to-be oneshot, bark and bite, to get back in the swing of things, but it's been a while since those, too. Either way, that's basically where I'm at right now style-wise. And while I'm listing things I did while I wasn't writing this story, you guys could go and check out the Suki Kirai light novel translations on tumblr.)

If all goes well, I'll try and get out a chapter a month from now on, because I still really want to finish this (I haven't even gotten to the best parts), at least for the sake of just finally finishing it after so long. This is sort of a loose odds-and-ends chapter, but I hope you all will enjoy what's to come! And thank you to everyone who's actually read this far.

* * *

After the huge success of the Midsummer Music Festival, Miku and her widened circle friends barely had any time to rest. They still had to pass their exams coming up in two weeks before they could start enjoying their summer vacation.

Miku and the twins were already used to studying together, so now Luka and Kaito joined them as well. Sometimes the trio visited their house; sometimes the siblings came over to the dorms. It didn't take them long to fall into a comfortable rhythm between the five of them. Even Rin had worked out a nice balance between spending time with her friends and her classmates.

"So, what are you guys planning for summer vacation?" Luka asked between two bites of pizza.

It was their usual way of wrapping up a study session at the Megurine house on a Friday night. They were gathered in the living room: Rin and Len lounged on one of the couches with her feet resting on his lap, Miku and Luka occupied the other one, while Kaito took the arm chair.

"Len-nii and I are going to the first years' summer training camp. It's going to be a blast, I'm really looking forward to it!" Rin replied, the excitement apparent in her tone. Len nodded to affirm his sister's words, though with considerably less eagerness.

"Ahhh, the one Gumi-sensei mentioned the other day, right? Kaito, aren't you gonna go, too?" She turned to her brother.

"Nah. I'm going back home to visit... a friend." His pause before 'friend' was short, but noticeable. He continued before they had a chance to mention it, though. "So you won't need to worry about me while you're off frolicking with your rock star boyfriend on some tropical island."

"Almost, brother dear, almost. The Alps are far from being a tropical island," Luka retorted without missing a beat.

"What about you, Miku-chan? Won't you be lonely here with all of us gone? You're probably going home, right?" Rin asked as she reached for her glass of orange juice, cutting off Luka and Kaito's squabble.

"Hmmm, I'm not sure yet. I'll definitely visit for a few days for Obon, though. But I guess I'll do my summer homework real quick so at least I won't have to take it with me," she answered with a shrug. "Maybe I'll get a head start on the graduation album, too."

It was customary for Kaion Academy's graduating students to compile an album of their songs that they'll leave behind for future generations. There were only a few easy guidelines that they had to follow.

_To be honest, there wouldn't be much for me to do at home either... I wish I could just stay here the whole time_, she pondered to herself. _Maybe I'll ask Luka-chan if she needs a house-sitter, get a little change of pace from the dorms._

"In any case, we should have one last big get-together before we go our separate ways for the summer!" Rin suggested, bursting with enthusiasm.

"How about we stay at the karaoke bar after the opening concert? We'll be there for it anyways, and I'm leaving the next day," Luka added.

There was a karaoke bar opening on Otoshima, the first Friday after the break starts, and Gumi-sensei had picked Rin and Miku to perform the theme song, 'Colorful x Melody', that she wrote for the place at the opening ceremony. (Of course, they wouldn't be the only students performing at the mini concert.) The added bonus was that the students got the option for making their songs available there through Kirakira Kaion.

"We could even persuade Gumi-sensei to reserve a room for us free, since Rin-chan and I are performing and all," Miku chimed in.

"Yeah, sounds good," Kaito said as the others nodded in agreement.

"Alright, with that decided, what are we watching tonight?" Luka posed the next important question. That, too, was an important part of their study session traditions.

"Okochama Sensou marathon! We left off season 2 at such a cliffhanger!" the twins shouted as soon as she had uttered the question.

In a matter of minutes, they cleared away the empty pizza boxes and pushed the furniture to the optimal viewing spots.

* * *

They got through their exams with ease and Gumi-sensei accepted their request without a moment's hesitation, saying that 'that's the least I can do for my little birdies!'

Quite a crowd had gathered for Colorful x Melody's opening concert. Miku and Rin got through their performance without a hitch, their friends cheering for them from the audience. They even got new costumes out of the gig.

Gumi had acquired one of the few bigger booths for them. The stage and screen were on the left side beside the door, a table sat in the middle of the room with the song choosing machine on top of it, and the back wall was lined with one long, conjoined sofa that had enough seats for eight people. The walls were painted with a myriad of bright colors, though most of it was covered with posters of popular singers and bands.

"Wow, so this is what an actual karaoke booth looks like," Luka said in awe, leading them inside.

"Ah, is this your first time coming to one?" Miku asked her.

"Yeah, they're not really a big thing where I lived in the States, so I never had the chance," she replied.

"Then we'll have to make up for that by coming here often," Miku said, smiling.

"I wonder if our pictures will be hung up like this one day, too," Rin murmured, her eyes sparkling with ambition as she gazed around the room.

"Ooohh look, it can pick random songs and randomly assign pairs, too. Let's give it a spin!" Luka exclaimed as she was browsing through the machine's settings, having swooped down on it quite fast.

"I like how you think, Luka-senpai," Rin commented, plopping down on her left. She grabbed the menu from the table and began flipping through it to pick out snacks and refreshments.

Len promptly took his place on the other side of his sister. Miku took Luka's right, thus leaving Kaito to sit beside her. Now that she knew that he's Luka's brother, and after the regular study sessions, she had gotten used to being around him. Late in the night, when her thoughts were keeping her awake, a wave of embarrassment would hit her all over again for being so painfully oblivious, but nothing more. What started out as always bumping into each other had slowly turned into a casual friendship. And Miku was content with that.

Luka entered all their names, then let the machine handle the rest. To kick things off, they received a group song, 'Mr. Music'. It was just the right choice to get them into the mood of the place.

As fate would have it, the Kagamines got the first duet, 'Electric Angel'. It was a delight to watch them perform such a cute and energetic song: though things had gotten a little rough between them in the past few months, the twins were always on the same wavelength when they sang and this was no exception. Their smiles shone brighter than the neon lights overhead.

Much to her mortification, Miku was paired up with Kaito next to sing 'Futariboshi', coincidentally one of the songs she wrote the lyrics for and played the piano portion. _It's one thing that we're friends now instead of awkward acquaintances, but this is certainly too much!_

She wobbled slightly as she stood up, but she made it to the microphone stand without stumbling, despite her nerves. When the familiar melody began to float from the speakers, habit took over and her voice regained its balance after the first few words of her part. At first, she looked straight ahead, not daring to face Kaito. Soon enough, her eyes slipped closed as she got caught up in the flow of the song.

She operated purely on feeling now. But just as it had made her tune out her surroundings for a short while, it also coerced her back into the moment.

"_Nemurenu yoru wa itsudatte, dare yori kimi ni aitakute..."_

Their voices overlapping, the sweet mood compelled her eyes to open on their own and she faced her partner. Who happened to be looking right down at her.

Once their gazes met, deep blue fixed on aquamarine, neither could avert their eyes for the rest of the song. Miku could feel her cheeks heating up and her voice faltered for a moment. It has been a while since she had looked up at him like this, seen his soft features from up close. _Ah, his eyes are sparkling... Why?_

Too soon, the song had reached its end. As the last note drowned out, Miku tilted her head to the side and cast her eyes down. _What the heck was that?! And in front of everyone, too!_ After a moment of heavy silence, Kaito cleared his throat, then their friends started clapping.

"That was amazing! You two should sing together more often," Luka remarked with a pleased grin. The twins were quick to agree. Miku brushed the comment aside with a nervous laugh and scurried off-stage, Kaito trailing behind her. She considered sitting beside instead for a second, but took her usual spot in the end.

As the afternoon wore on, they witnessed uncanny pairings and perfect matches. Sometimes they formed trios and there were a couple of solo performances along the way, too. The girls unanimously agreed that Len and Kaito singing 'Bambino' would bring a good handful of love letters to their shoeboxes, and that observation resulted in tinting the boys' cheeks a bright crimson. The boys were left with their mouths hanging open after the girls sang 'Ifuu Doudou'. Though adamant protests preceded it, they would never let Len live down how he totally got into 'PONPONPON'; Rin had her face buried in her hands the whole time.

Singing and laughing the hours away together, it was a perfect way for them to kick off their summer break.

* * *

That following Sunday turned into huge cleaning day in Miku and Rin's room. Rin was leaving for the training camp the next day and wouldn't be back for a month, so she needed to pack up the necessities for that. Soon realizing that she would need to sort through her stuff before they were in any shape to be packed up, she roped Miku into helping her out.

"Hey, can you grab that pink folder for me?" Rin asked, sitting on the floor between two piles of clothes.

"You mean the one at the bottom of that large mountain of papers and other folders?" Miku stepped towards the table, assessing the situation with a wary look.

"Yes, exactly! Thanks," Rin replied with a cheeky grin before shifting her attention back to the clothes.

It was a pretty precarious pile; Miku had to be methodical about deconstructing it. _We really ought to figure out a better way to keep our stuff organized_, she pondered. The problem with turning one big pile into several smaller piles is that you'll end up with piles around yourself; so when she had successfully extracted the requested folder and turned to pass it over to Rin, she also successfully knocked over one of said piles, spilling the contents of a different folder on the floor.

"Ahh sorry, I'll put those right back!" she hastily apologized while taking a few steps to hand over the folder to Rin.

"No that's okay, leave it to me!" Rin hurriedly blurted out as she caught sight of the papers scattered onto the floor. She stood up and headed towards the desk, forgetting about the other folder.

Miku looked down at the sheets lying around her feet. Those were Rin's sketches. That in itself wasn't surprising: she knew that besides music, the girl had a penchant for art, especially drawing. She squatted down and picked one of them up. She wasn't quite expecting to see a copy of Len in his date outfit from about a month ago. Before Rin got there, she had a chance to glance down at the other ones: they also featured Len, in a wide variety of dresses, his poses getting progressively less innocent. There had to be at least three dozen of them, if not more.

"Uhm, Rin-chan? Are these really...?" she began to inquire, unable to voice the full question. By then, Rin was squatting beside her and was gathering up the drawings. She turned to look at Miku, biting her lip in worry.

"I could hardly deny it after you've seen them already, could I?" she retorted, furrowing her brows. "Promise not to tell Len-nii or anyone else?"

"Of course! That goes without saying," Miku reassured her. "But I sure would like to hear some sort of explanation. You basically massacred a forest with drawings of your brother cross-dressing. In a certain sense, that is kind of worrying."

Rin's lips curled into a frown, her eyes clouding over. _Good job Miku, you know just what to say_, she chided herself.

"Not that it's a bad thing!" she quickly amended. "Just, you know, you probably don't want me pulling speculations off the top of my head. Trust me on that."

Rin took a deep breath. "Well, I guess that's true. And maybe it'll take a load off my mind if I finally talked about it to someone. Miku-chan's the only one I could do that with."

"Exactly. We're friends, and you can always rely on me," she said, placing her hand on Rin's shoulder as a comforting gesture. "Go on, I'll listen."

"Okay, so, you remember how torn I was about getting my own identity with the class placement splitting us up but also missing Len-nii and wanting to fix that somehow? The fact that my brother was willing to take my place changed things," she let out a heavy sigh. "And when I saw Len-nii come home after that date, at first I was surprised by how perfectly 'me' he was. But after that first few seconds of shock, there was something so very Len-nii-like about his figure."

She pointed at the picture still in Miku's hands. "So it was sometime afterwards that I drew that one. I wanted to capture something about that moment, though I wasn't even sure if it was his posture, his expression or something else. It took a day or two to fix up the details, but it wasn't _the_ same impression... So I thought, maybe I should change a few things around. That's where all these other ones came from," she flipped through the ones in her hand as she explained, letting Miku see them but not get a good look at them.

"In the end, I wasn't even trying to get that expression anymore, I think... After all these, which were getting worse on their own, I guess something short-circuited in my brain, because before I knew it, I r-reached this..." she shyly showed the last drawing to Miku, which portrayed a half-naked Len hovering over a girl she presumed to be Rin herself (the hair bow was a dead giveaway).

"I realized that this was it: the expression I was searching for. It was his bare devotion towards me. And that side of him... I–... I don't want to escape that gaze, nor do I want him looking at another girl like that. It has to be me," she stared straight at Miku, the same conviction apparent in her eyes.

"I still chat with Piko in class and stuff, but that feeling of novelty and giddiness disappeared pretty soon after the date I didn't even go on. It took me a while to realize it, but only Len-nii can fill the hole he left behind. And I don't want anyone else to fill it either," she said, her voice gradually turning into a whisper as she cast her eyes down.

"Aww Rin-chan...!" Miku cooed, pulling her friend into a hug. "You _are_ aware of what you're saying, right?"

_Really, I would just need to lock them in a closet somewhere at this point and let them figure it out already_, she thought to herself.

"Y-yeah... I–," she struggled to get the words out, until she eventually gave up. "I've been terrible to him. Things are getting better between us, now that we're hanging out together more with Luka-senpai and Kaito-kun, but there's still _something_ that's just not quite right..."

_Yup, you're both avoiding the elephant in the room that's the two of you crushing on each other_, she commented, rolling her eyes mentally. _Alright Miku, this is your chance to bring them both out of their misery. You just gotta push Rin-chan in the right direction a little more._

"You'll both be at camp for the next month, right? Of course, you'll have a lot of work to do, but spend some time with Len-kun when you can. Talk to him. _Really_ talk to him. He'll appreciate it. And I think that would help to sort out that 'something' you're fretting over," Miku advised her friend, giving her a squeeze before ending the hug.

"Okay, thanks," Rin nodded, a smile finally appearing on her face.

"Worst comes to worst, just show him that last picture. I'm sure he wouldn't object to giving you a live demonstration."

"Miku-chan!"

* * *

**Disclaimer: **Colorful x Melody's NND code is 1278053154, Mr. Music is sm13774194, the Kagamine version of Electric Angel is sm20040564, there's no Kaito and Miku version of Futariboshi afaik (just imagine that it would sound great) but the original is sm11302054, Kaito and Len's Bambino is sm20559187, Ifuu Doudou is sm19233263, Len's PONPONPON is sm15484827, and Okochama Sensou is sm22349544. I know I'm lacking people for some of the songs but hey, they were at a karaoke bar.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: **I know I said I'd get a chapter out once a month. That didn't work out. This chapter is extra long to make up for it! I've been waiting _years_ to finally write this part, and now that I got to it, I had a lot of trouble with it and I'm not sure if it turned out the way I wanted it to...

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy it! I know for certain that there probably won't be another chapter this summer because I have a graduate thesis to write and light novels to translate.

(Also, itt would be really nice to get some comments if there's even anyone still interested this story... As long as at least one person wants to read this to the end, and we're only a third of the way there, because I _swear_ the main pairing is MikuxKaito, then I will finish it, even if it takes me another few years.)

* * *

The next morning, the twins bade farewell to Miku at the dormitory entrance, a refreshing breeze nipping at their skin as the sun climbed over the horizon.

"We'll miss you," they said while wrapping their friend in a tight hug. She put her hands on their shoulders and lightly squeezed them.

"Me too. Text me sometimes about how things are going, okay? The campsite's not that deep in the mountain woods, you should still have reception," she assured them. "Take care of yourselves. And each other. _Especially_ each other."

After a few seconds, they let her out of their embrace and grabbed their bags. More precisely, Len picked up his own and picked up one of Rin's as well.

"I can carry my own stuff, you know," she chided him gently, tilting her head to the side.

"Yeah, but I'll carry it for you," Len replied nonchalantly, avoiding her gaze. He clearly had no intention of giving it back to her. She shrugged, accepting the situation.

They waved to Miku and set off towards the school, where the buses were waiting to take them to their month-long training camp.

It was a rare occurrence, for just the two of them to take that walk. Usually, they'd be able to fill the silence with mindless chatter, but today, neither of them had the right words to say.

* * *

Two huge buses were already lining up on the street by the time they had reached the school. The students were gathered on the main pathway, babbling amongst themselves while they waited for the teachers' instructions. The twins split up to join their classmates.

Fifteen minutes before their planned time of departure at 8, Gumi-sensei blew her whistle to gain their attention. "Gooooood morning everyone! Hope y'all are excited for the training camp! The camping spot is just a liiittle bit too far away to walk, so we'll be taking those buses. And since we have three classes but only two buses, considering that not everyone's coming, we're splitting y'all up in alphabetical order, alright? From A in the first bus, from Ha in the second."

That earned more groans than cheers from the students, but it was a stroke of luck for the Kagamines. The groups began to disperse as they made their way to the designated buses. After getting their names checked off at the door, they were free to choose whichever seat they wanted, so Len ended up sitting with Rin and some of her friends, including Piko, much to his distaste.

The bus trip was an hour filled with annoying camping songs and raucous laughter. While Rin seemed to be enjoying herself in that company, it was only for her sake that Len made a minimal effort to keep up with the conversation.

Once the bus had reached its destination, the students made their way towards the main hall for the orientation.

The campsite was specifically built for the sake of school trips. After passing through the huge wooden arch with a welcome sign on it, they followed the stone pathway leading up to the main hall at the center of the camp's grounds. Behind it was a rectangular 2-floor building with several classrooms in it. The cafeteria was in a separate building to the right, and several rows of cabins lined up on the left, with the bath building behind it. Farther behind the main hall was a gymnasium, a paved basketball court situated to the right. The camp's fences stretched into a part of the woods that had a large clearing nearby and a creek flowed a short walking distance away.

Once everyone had filed into the main hall, the teachers started the orientation about the upcoming four weeks of camp. It was meant to be a training camp in an atmosphere that's different than usual, so it was necessary to balance work with fun. To achieve that, the teachers split them into ten opposing teams, with eight members on each. In the mornings, they'd have various classes to improve their various skills. In the afternoons, the groups would gather to work on creating a new song that they'd perform at the concert at the end of the training camp. They also had some free time to relax around the campsite or go down to the creek and they had no classes on the weekends, just group preparation if they wished. For every other evening, the teachers organized all sorts of games and events for them to compete in and earn points. To get a little competitive spirit going, the team with the most points would win a 5-occasion free pass to Colorful x Melody for each member. Ever since the opening day, it had become a popular spot for the students.

Luck was yet again cruel to the twins, for they were placed in different teams. More than being separated from his twin, Len was bothered by the fact that Piko was on the same team as Rin.

After the orientation, the students left the main hall and went to occupy their cabins. They were of the low-comfort variety: two bunk beds, four shelves, a small table and a sink were the only pieces of furniture, with a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. They had already decided on cabin arrangements at school: Rin was with Iroha and Miki (due to the unequal number of kids attending), Len was with some boys from his class whom he had rarely spoken to.

It didn't take long for them to fall into the rhythm of camp life. The weather graced them with more sunshine than rain, letting them enjoy their afternoons at the creek or play games outside. The cafeteria food proved to be of edible quality, and the vending machines beside the main hall were a blessing for all their carbonated beverage needs. The team events were a blast, and even Len found himself befriending his teammates.

However, since the team assignments had separated the Kagamines, it was almost like at school: they only had mealtimes and their free time to spend in each other's company, which was the exact opposite of their expectations for camp. Sometimes, the teachers organized events without teams, like the Test of Courage, and it was usually in those cases that luck favoured them and they were paired up.

But all in all, things were proceeding smoothly.

* * *

On Tuesday morning two weeks into the camp, forceful knocks on their cabin's door roused Rin and her cabinmates, in discord with the camp's wake-up song that resounded across the grounds. Slow to awaken from their slumber, none of them answered. After a while, the person on the other side reached the end of their patience and flung the door open.

"Rise and shine!" Len's way-too-cheery-for-7-am tone reverberated in the cabin. Rin rolled over and glared at him over the edge of her blanket.

"What the heck, Len-nii, what are you here for so early?" she demanded, her voice groggy. Her face contorted into a scowl upon seeing his wide grin. _I don't get morning people._

"Being a responsible brother and waking you up on time, obviously," he replied, leaning against the door frame and smirking. Being around so many people all the time worked miracles on his attitude, making him more expressive and cheekier around others, not just his close friends.

"No one asked you to do that!" Iroha interjected, with no intention of hiding the discontent in her voice.

"Yeah, we're capable of getting ready for the morning assembly on our own, thank you very much," Miki added.

"Hey now, is that the appreciation I get for trying to help you girls out?" he feigned to be hurt by their words, putting a hand over chest. "No, seriously, pull yourselves out of bed."

"Get lost first," Rin grumbled back at him, her irritation growing stronger by the second. "How do you expect us to get ready with you loitering around?"

"Right, so get out of bed and make me!" he teased his sister, his grin growing ever wider.

"Ohhhh you asked for it!" Rin snapped at him.

She slid her arm out from underneath the blanket and grabbed one of her flip-flop sandals that she had left at the edge of her bed the previous night. Still sleepy, she flung it towards the general direction of the door. _It's just to scare him away._

Against all her expectations and despite her total lack of precise aiming, the sandal collided with Len's face. He brought a hand up to his left eye, murmuring a soft 'ouch'. Rin gasped, the guilt welling up within her in an instant.

"Oh my gosh I am so sorry, I didn't think– it wasn't supposed to–" she abruptly began to apologize as she sat up in her bed and her hands flew to her face. _My aim sucks! Why is this the one time it doesn't?!_

Without another word, Len stepped back and closed the cabin door.

_Dammit, I screwed up real bad. I should probably... go after him..._

Her body wouldn't abide by her wishes, though; she found it incredibly hard to even budge from her spot on the bed.

Iroha and Miki exchanged worried glances as they clambered out of their own beds. The occasional squabble between the Kagamine twins was nothing unusual, and most of them were more affectionate than anything, but it was highly unlikely for this to blow over so easily.

* * *

After dashing away from the girls' cabin, Len leaned against the railing at the edge of the assembly area. Not knowing what to do, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and started typing a text.

**Date:** 08/06 AM 7:05  
**To:** Miku  
**Subject: **(=.=)  
**Message:  
**Rin threw a sandal at me. And it hit my face.

After sending it, he repocketed his phone. He gingerly pressed his fingers against the spot on his face, right under his left eye, the pressure making him hiss in pain. _What the heck, Rin's aim sucks, so why didn't she miss?_ The question curved his lips into a deep frown. _How am I going to explain the bruise to the teachers? Telling the truth is obviously out of the question. I can't let Rin get in trouble. And we're only halfway through camp…_

After a while, his phone vibrated in his pocket, signaling the arrival of a new message.

**Date:** 08/06 AM 7:15  
**From:** Miku  
**Subject: **RE: (=.=)  
**Message:**

How? Her aim is terrible... Well, put something cold over it for now so it doesn't swell up too much.

_Right, good idea. _With that thought, Len straightened up and headed towards the vending machines at the back of the main hall. He pulled out a handful of change from his pockets to buy himself a banana soda. After inserting the right amount of coins, the cold beverage fell out of the machine accompanied by a few clunks.

Len pressed the can on the sore spot beneath his eye. After a flash of pain, he let out a sigh as it began to soothe his skin. Reluctant to return to the assembly area in such a sorry state and since he still had some time before the assembly started, he sat down on the ground beside the machine.

_What am I supposed to do now? I don't think she intended to hit me, but the fact remains that she threw a sandal at me. A sandal. Not even a pillow that wouldn't have really hurt either way, but a sandal. I thought we've been getting along pretty well lately, too. Real well, actually. We even held hands and clung onto each other during the Test of Courage the other night! Okay, I probably shouldn't have gone to wake them up, but... I just don't understand, at all. I thought that maybe, at the end of camp I could…_

Len turned the can of soda to a cooler part as his skin warmed it up. Staring blankly in front of himself in an attempt to shut down his thoughts, feet clad in a familiar pair of flip-flops skidded into view. He looked up and saw Rin, her breath coming out ragged and wearing a worried expression. She dropped to her knees in front of him.

"Len-nii, are you okay? I'm so, so, _so_ sorry... I really didn't mean to, honest. I have no idea what came over me, I just- I'm sorry," the distressed words fell from Rin's mouth in rapid succession, looking at him as if she had just kicked a puppy by accident and bore the entire world's remorse on her shoulders. Which was quite fitting, considering that in his current state, Len looked like the spitting image of a puppy whose owner had kicked them by accident.

After a few moments of strained silence, Rin spoke up again. "Does it hurt? I mean, duh, of course it hurts... So, uh, can I take a look, maybe?"

After a tiny nod, Len lowered the soda from beneath his eye. His sister let out a gasp, eyes widening in shock. "I am _so _sorry," she whispered again as she leaned in to take a closer look.

Very slowly and cautiously, she brushed her finger over the darkening bruise, making her brother wince away in pain. "I'm sorry..." she murmured again, casting her eyes down. "I know you must hate me now, and I can't possibly ask you to forgive me, but please, say something."

"It's okay," Len mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm fine."

Rin sighed as she leaned forward to rest her forehead against his, closing her eyes. She couldn't bear to meet his gaze. "I'm really sorry. How can I make it up to you?"

Her minty breath ghosted over his lips, making his heart race. _She's so close... If I moved my head a little bit, I could- Nooooo no no no nope._ He brushed the thought away as soon as it floated into his mind. A month ago, during his conversation with Miku as he was getting dolled up for the date, he couldn't imagine kissing as anything other than gross. Yet the idea had planted itself among his thoughts and pestered him at the most inopportune of times: what _would_ it be like to kiss Rin, to feel her lips against his own?

"Don't worry about it," he said after a few seconds of silence, putting all his effort into keeping his voice even.

Rin pulled back from her brother and stood up. "Let's get to the assembly."

Len got to his feet as well and dusted off his jeans with one hand, still holding the soda in the other. Standing in front of him, Rin put her hands on his shoulders and stood on her tiptoes. She slowly brought her face close to his and in a feather light motion, kissed the bruise beneath his eyes. His cheeks burst into flames right away.

_This can't be real, it's too good to be true. I must be hallucinating. Or the sandal knocked me unconscious and I'm merely dreaming._

"I'm sorry," she whispered once more with a solemn gaze, lowering herself. She let go of his shoulders and took a step back.

"That wasn't fair," he mumbled as he turned his head away, covering his face with his empty hand to hide the blush.

"Hm? Did you say something?" she asked innocently, tilting her head to the right and blinking a few times.

"Nothing, let's get going," Len hastily replied, striding past his sister. He could only hope that she didn't hear the sound of his heart performing a very convincing impression of a jackhammer in his chest.

* * *

After the assembly, Gumi-sensei approached Len and asked him about the bruise underneath his eye. Yukari-sensei pulled him aside before the morning class started. During the lunch break, Lily-sensei stopped him on his way to the cafeteria. By the end of the day, every faculty member had had a word with him.

Each time, no matter how persistently they asked, assuring him that they'll deal with the matter discreetly, he insisted that he wasn't looking where he was going and ran into one of the lamp posts.

From that day onwards, a noticeable distance appeared between him and his sister. He would no longer sit with her in the cafeteria and he hung out more with his teammates or cabinmates than with Rin and her friends. On the rare occasions that she did find her brother, she always whispered another apology with a guilt-ridden expression that he shrugged off.

* * *

They had held the camp concert the night before and announced the winning team (which neither of the Kagamines was on), so the students could spend the entirety of the last full day at camp relaxing and enjoying the company of their newfound friendships.

"Hey Rin-chan, would you like to come down to the creek with me?" Piko asked her as she was getting a drink from the vending machine, flashing a bright and charming smile.

"Uhm, just the of us?" she wondered, a hint of hesitation in her voice. _After our 'date', and even through most of the camp, he didn't seem to be particularly interested in me anymore. Well, that sentiment was mutual, so what's this all of a sudden? _

"If you don't mind," he answered. "Come on, you have nothing to be afraid of. It'll be fun."

"Well, I guess I don't really have anywhere else to be..." she said. _I guess we did end up hanging out a lot, though... No harm done in going with him, I suppose. Len-nii's been ignoring me anyways._

"Perfect." Without a moment's notice, he grabbed her by the wrist and started dragging her towards the woods. He wasn't outright forceful, but she stumbled a few steps before matching his pace.

Piko tried engaging Rin in lighthearted chatter, but she found herself unable to reply with anything but noncommittal noises, his words barely registering in her mind. His grip on her wrist didn't loosen. _I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this..._

In a matter of minutes, they reached the creek. Piko led her to a spot on the bank that was slightly secluded by a few bushes and pulled her down to sit beside him.

"Rin-chan." He uttered her name in a sultry tone, directing her attention to him. She turned towards with him with a startled look in her eyes.

"Hey, no need to panic. I'm your friend, you've got absolutely nothing to be afraid of, right?" He gazed straight into her eyes with a sweet smile. She gave a small nod.

He put his arm around her shoulders. Rin froze up at the contact. "I had a lot of fun on our date a while back, you know. You... haven't had a boyfriend before, right?"

She shook her head. _I really, really don't like where this is headed... But what do I do? No one even knows I left with him!_

"So..." Slowly, he leaned in closer, putting a hand on her knee. "What would you say to having a little learning experience with me?"

"Get away from her, you bastard!"

In a blur, Len tackled Piko to the ground from behind, the boy letting out a surprised yelp. Rin jumped to her feet and scrambled back a bit.

Len had been playing basketball with a few new friends when he saw Piko and his sister walking towards the forest. Even while avoiding her, he had found himself unconsciously keeping an eye out for her. Over the years, it had become second nature for him, and a minor incident between them wouldn't get rid of it so easily. Not to mention, he still had every reason to be wary of Piko. His brotherly instincts had blared the alarm in his mind. He had managed to build up a tolerance for when they happened to be among the same group of friends. But alone together? Not even over his dead body. He had excused himself from the game, though not without grumblings from the others. He had followed them from a fair distance: as much seeing Piko near his sister made his blood boil, he couldn't simply tear her away from him. That is, until he started to touch her.

He got off of Piko and pulled him to his feet by the collar of his shirt before he had a chance to realize what's going on. "Like hell I'd let you lay a finger on her! Game's over."

He pulled back his arm, then slammed his fist straight into Piko's face and dropped him to the ground.

Blood started to drip from Piko's nose and he raised his hand to feel where his lip had split. "You've got some nerve, Kagamine. Did you forget about _that_?" he mocked Len with a chuckle.

With a growl, Len tackled him to the ground, attempting to rummage through his pockets for his cell phone. Piko struggled against him, but to no avail; the punch had dazed him too much to overcome him, but he managed to elbow him in the stomach. That was far from enough to make Len give up, and it turned into quite the tussle between the two boys, both of them earning their fair share of bruises.

"Rin, catch!" Len shouted, throwing it to her the moment he finally found it.

Until then, she had regarded the scene entirely dumbstruck. She couldn't believe that her brother had shown up to save her, much less gotten into a fight. Her reactions running faster than her thoughts, she caught the phone and promptly proceeded to throw it into the creek, as far away as she could. Explanations could wait until later.

She grabbed Len's hand to pull him up and they both dashed towards the woods, her brother stumbling along the way. They only slowed down to catch their breath once they were a safe distance away from the creek, hiding at the base of a large tree surrounded by bushes, just in case.

"What was… the deal… with the phone?" Rin asked between pants.

Len hesitated before answering. "Promise you won't get mad at me for telling?"

"Promise. I couldn't be mad at you even if I tried. You basically just saved me. Thanks for that, by the way," she said, smiling gently at him.

"Alright then." He took a deep breath before continuing, making sure to direct his gaze away from her. "The date… didn't go exactly as I told you. He… he knew all along that it was me. You can guess what he had on his phone. I didn't want him to spread rumours about you, so I kinda, struck a deal with him. He'd 'leave you for last' if I stayed quiet."

"Oh, Len-nii!" she exclaimed, her tone full of affection. She launched herself at him to wrap him in a tight hug. "You're an idiot!" _My idiot. My sweet dear idiot of a brother._

"Uh, I'm getting mixed signals here," he said, tensing up. "Yes, I know, that was a horrible deal. But I saved you in the end, so everything's fine, right? Right?"

"You should've just told me. We could've figured something out together," she grumbled. "That's why we're twins."

"Well, you didn't really seem to be aware of that fact at the time, you know. Always hanging out with your new friends," he remarked with a pout, looking off to the side.

_Like you weren't happy enough with Miku-chan._ She bit back the words and cleared her throat instead, finally letting go of him. "Anyways, aren't you two gonna get trouble for this?"

"Since he has nothing on us anymore, we'll tell the truth if he speaks to the teachers, and I don't think he'll risk it," he explained. "And he'll think twice about coming near you again, so, it'll be fine."

"Hmm, I guess so…." she said, biting her lip.

"C'mon, let's get back to camp." With that, Len stood up and held out his hand to help her up, which she accepted. He let go right away and walked a few steps ahead of her on the way back.

They parted ways once they returned.

He avoided her at lunch again.

* * *

**Date:** 08/17 PM 6:12  
**From:** Miku  
**Subject: **ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ  
**Message:  
**Talk with Rin-chan tonight, you butthead.

* * *

A huge bonfire crackled in the middle of the clearing, emanating a scorching heat towards the groups of students gathered around it. Against the deep blue of the night sky, countless stars twinkled from light-years away. The scent of burning firewood floating in the air, it was the perfect kind of summer evening to end the camp with.

Len surveyed the scene from a bit further away, sitting near the base of a giant cedar tree, sipping his banana soda and occasionally casting a glance at the sky. As much as he had gotten along with his teammates and cabinmates, he wasn't in the mood to be very social. The text Miku had sent a few hours ago was nagging at the back of his mind.

All of a sudden, Rin plopped down right beside him. "What are you doing here all on your own?"

"Nothing, really," he replied with a shrug.

"It's nice out tonight, huh," she observed in a strained tone, looking at the view above. He hummed in agreement.

"Hey, remember a few years ago? We spent a whole summer stargazing in the backyard," she said, lying back on the grass and folding her arms beneath her head.

"Yeah, we borrowed a huge book from the library to help us identify constellations," he joined in on her reminiscing, his lips forming a grin. Thinking of their childhood always cheered him up. "And when we got bored of that, we made up our own. With epic legends for them and everything. Do you still remember any of those?"

After downing the last gulps of his soda, Len laid down beside her.

"A little, I guess. I think I still have our overwritten star charts in some box at home... Do you?"

"Your Orange Pie is always the first one I look for," he admitted in a low mumble.

She turned her head to look at him just as he did the same. Their gazes met, and it seemed like they were both on the verge of saying something.

Rin turned away abruptly, bringing up a random topic instead. He paid it no mind. They talked for hours about whatever they could think of, lying there side by side. Without them noticing, the students had dispersed from around the remaining embers of the bonfire.

"Ah, it's a bit chilly, lying on the grass like this. Kinda uncomfortable, too," Rin said as she shivered.

"Wait right here," Len told her, bolting up from his spot. He dashed off towards the camp's main area.

After a few minutes, Len returned with three picnic blankets slung over his shoulder. He handed one to his sister and laid down another folded in half, though it was still wide enough for the both of them to fit onto it. He draped the third over himself and sat down. Much to his surprise, Rin settled down between his legs, wrapped in the blanket, and leaned back against him, the back of her head resting against his shoulder.

"Rin, what..." He couldn't figure out how to phrase what he wanted to ask. She was too close for his brain to function properly.

"Is it uncomfortable for you?" she asked.

"Well, no, but…" he said in an unsure tone.

"Then it's fine. Don't fret over it," she reassured him.

"But, are you sure you want to spend the rest of the night with me, here, like this? Shouldn't you be with your friends or something?" He made a vague attempt at dissuading her.

"Am I not with a friend right now?" she wondered, her tone dancing on the fine line between teasing and innocent.

"I don't know, do you throw sandals at all your friends?" he retorted jokingly with a chuckle at the end, but there was the slightest trace of hurt to it that Rin didn't fail to pick up on.

"I'm sorry," she apologized for the millionth time. She straightened up and turned around to face him. "I really, really am."

She reached up to brush her fingers against the bruise. "Does it still hurt?"

"Not really, it just looks nasty," he said flatly. Then, his mouth curled into a smirk. "But you can kiss it better again, if you want."

"Oh, shut _up_," she scolded him, lightly punching his upper arm, her lips twisting into a scowl.

"Again with the violence... I'm gonna have to start pressing charges soon," he mused with a sly grin. She leaned forward to press her head against his shoulder. The darkness would've masked the light blush dusting her cheeks anyway.

Rin took a deep breath before speaking. "You know I don't mean to-... It's not like I'm serious about hurting you. I-I'll stop. I don't want you getting injured anymore. Not because of me, and not for me, either."

"Rin..." he breathed out her name. Her head became a heavy weight on his shoulder, as heavy as the weight that started pressing down on his chest.

"I'm sorry. For everything. I've been horrible to you lately. And I never even noticed...! You've done nothing but care for me all along, and I repay it to you by hurting you even more..." The words tumbled from her mouth in rapid succession. By the end of it, she raised her head again. Her eyes were glistening with tears waiting to spill. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I don't even deserve you as a brother..."

Len circled his arms around his sister: comfortingly rubbing her back with one hand and threading his fingers through her hair with the other. Rin usually stayed upbeat and cheerful even in the toughest of times. For her to be crying, it meant that she held the matter very close to her heart. "Shhh, it's okay, it's fine, you don't have to beat yourself up over it so much. It's not your fault."

She wrapped her arms around him as well, clutching the back of his shirt in her fists. They stayed like that for a few minutes, her teardrops falling one by one. Then, she straightened up and looked right into his eyes, gaze unwavering as she gently smiled at him. "Thank you. For everything you've done for me. I'm really grateful."

Those heartfelt words set Len's cheeks ablaze in a second. "I'd do anything to make you happy." Both his voice and expression were brimming with tender affection.

"And it's-... it's not just because that's my responsibility as your brother. You have no idea how much you mean to me." He kept his eyes locked on hers, hoping to convey more than his words could. "No matter what happens, I always want to be there for you, to protect you, to support you... if you need me."

The atmosphere between them was getting palpable. _Something_ was going to happen, they could both feel it.

Len closed his eyes and tilted his head forward to press his forehead against Rin's. The tips of their noses brushed against each other. Their breathing fell into a rhythm as he breathed in every breath she breathed out. She searched for his hands and laced their fingers together. Marked by their accelerating heartbeats, each second that passed was an eternity of its own, getting heavier each time as it carried that unfulfilled something.

They couldn't breach the distance between their lips, yet they couldn't let go of each other, either.

"…Can I…?" Len whispered carefully, so his lips wouldn't touch hers by accident.

Rin was about to speak, but the words she wanted to say stubbornly refused to be voiced.

"We don't have to, if you don't want to."

"I… I… do! But I'm…"

"Scared? Me too. It's okay."

A pause.

"I love you, Rin."

That was the magic phrase she was waiting for. Rin surged forward to seal her lips against his, to catch the words he spoke and preserve them before they faded away. For all the eternities they had waited, the kiss lasted no longer than a spark. A gentle touch, a brief connection, two pieces of a puzzle finally finding each other, naturally as breathing.

"I love you, too."

In all the ways this scenario had played out in his head, he imagined heartfelt confessions with grandiose monologues that were more personal, that had more flourish to them. But all those countless words carried this one sentiment in them. He trusted her to know that these few words carried many more behind them.

And she did. The emotion was undeniably there, keeping her heart warm as well. Just as he had given the words to her, she returned them to him, with the same feelings behind them.

Their kiss, and the special moments in their shared life, spoke of their love for each other louder than any words they could possibly put them into.

"I need a tissue," Rin said, breaking the brief silence between them. "I have some in our cabin, so..."

"You want me to come with," he finished her sentence for her as she trailed off.

"And it _is_ getting late, and cold, so you could, uhm, stay, too," she added, her voice increasing in pitch by word as she averted her gaze. "It'll be just us, the others are sleeping elsewhere." Since it was the last night, the teachers had let them spend the night wherever they wished; most people were holding a huge slumber party in the gym, vacating some of the cabins.

"Okay," he said, then abruptly leaned forward to kiss the tip of her nose.

"Hey, what was that for?" she retorted, pouting.

"You were being cute," he replied with a grin.

"You missed the mark, stupid." She took the chance to give him a fleeting kiss again.

"No fair, you're taking all the kisses!"

"Then get even with me." Another peck on the lips. "Three to zero now, better hurry up."

That heavy mood from just seconds ago lifted in an instant. They were playing around with each other as if the kisses hadn't changed a single thing about their bond.

"Just you wait, I'm gonna kiss you silly. Once we get to the cabin," he declared, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I'll hold you to that!"

After clambering to their feet, the twins headed towards her cabin. They laced their fingers together without giving it a second thought. It came naturally to them. The balance of their world meant being together. And on this night, they merely widened what 'together' signified for them.

* * *

"I don't think the beds were made for two people to fit onto them," Rin stated as they stepped inside.

"Yeah, probably... We could try piling blankets and stuff on the floor instead? I could bring over mine, too," Len quickly offered a solution.

After some arranging, and an impromptu pillow fight, they managed to make a satisfactory resting place for the night.

Rin plopped down on the makeshift bed first. Her brother soon joined her, sitting down across from her.

"So, uhh, we just start kissing again?" he wondered awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

"Mm, I guess so."

"Well alright, here goes."

He lifted his hand to cup her cheek and drew her close. Just as his breath ghosted over her mouth, she suddenly turned her face to the side, breaking out in giggles.

"What's so funny?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"Sorry, I just- I mean, isn't it kinda weird? Our first kiss was the single most drawn-out event in history because we were both terrified, and now you're already being real suave about it, cupping my cheek and everything. Like going ahead and kissing your sister is a totally ordinary thing to do," she said as her giggles subsided.

"Yeah let's not discuss that right now..." His expression became grave.

Rin nodded in agreement. She wasn't too keen on having that conversation, either; and who knows when they'd get another chance to be with each other in private like this.

Len repeated his motion from earlier and she didn't shy away this time. Rather than briefly pressing his mouth against hers, he slightly tilted his head to the side and began to move his lips a little. She reciprocated after a few moments and they gradually worked out how to move against each other. The simplicity of their first kiss was replaced with a burning intensity coursing through their bodies as they experienced the sensation of connecting in a new way. It was so _much_: touching, tasting, feeling each other.

They separated when they ran out of breath, both of them wearing identical blushes and their breathing heavy.

"Wow..." Rin whispered, touching her lips.

"Again?"

"Yeah."

Cradling her face, he leaned in to kiss her once more. She tangled her fingers in his hair and slowly pulled him down with her to lay on the bed. One of his hands travelled down to her waist as he opened his mouth a little wider to let his tongue peek out, the need arising to touch _more_, taste _more_, feel _more_ of each other. She followed his lead, sliding her tongue out to meet his. As their tongues made contact, he suddenly jerked back.

"What's wrong?" Rin asked, worried.

"S-sorry. A-aren't we going t-too fast?" he asked anxiously, pressing his eyes shut. "Especially after... what happened today…"

She untangled her fingers from his hair and put her arms around him to pull him close for a hug. He rested his head against her chest, right over her heart. He could clearly feel her heartbeat racing.

"We're gonna have to talk after all, huh..." she murmured softly. He hummed in agreement.

For minutes, they stayed in silence. There was so much to say, but they both had trouble with finding the right words to express their thoughts with.

"It's still scary," he finally whispered. "I'm so, so happy to be with you, to hold you, to kiss you, to know that you feel the same way and it's not just me, but, it's scary."

"What's scary about it?" Rin asked, hoping to give a direction to the conversation.

"There are… so many what-ifs…" he started out slow, stumbling over his words before they started flooding out. "What if people find out? What if you don't want to be with me anymore? What if we're not supposed to be like this and this is all just a huge, huge mistake?"

She gently rubbed his back as she spoke. "Whoaahhh, slow down. First, we'll try our best so people won't find out, right? Let's be real here: the only thing that's changed between us is that we, uhh… kiss… now. As long as we don't do that in public, it'll be fine. And even if they do, we'll escape the country and start our lives anew somewhere else with false identities. No big deal."

Her remark earned a chuckle from the boy, which in turn brought a smile to her face. "I… I don't know what the future holds, but I do know that this isn't a mistake. Yeah, we're brother and sister. But we're much more than just that... we're twins. A lot of people have brothers, sisters, or both. But few people are lucky enough to be born with a twin. And a lot of people spend decades searching for a person to share their life with. But we were together since the start. It's like Fate put in the extra effort to make sure we'd be by each other's side."

She loosened her hold around him so she could scoot down and be face to face with Len. "You're not… doing anything bad to me, okay?" For a second, the memory of her brother sitting all curled up on the floor of the dorm room flashed into her mind. "I'm happy to be with you, too. I _want_ to be with you."

Rin pressed her lips against his and kissed him softly. "You really ought to step up your game if you still intend to, how did you say it? 'Kiss me silly'?"

He burst out in laughter, once and for all dispelling the serious mood between them. "Right, right, I'll get on that right away."

As he hauled himself up to lean above her, her cheeks instantly turned crimson and he proceeded to do exactly what he had promised.

* * *

As the first rays of sunlight started to peek in through the window, Len slowly woke up. He held Rin cocooned in his arms, her head resting against his chest, their legs entangled. He recalled that accident from a while ago, when he woke up in her arms in the dorm room. That time, he felt nothing but panic and guilt welling up inside him. And now... _This is the happiest I've ever been. I can't believe this is real. _

He carefully extracted one of his arms to grab his phone from the edge of their makeshift bed on the ground. Making sure the flash was turned off, he took a picture of the two of them, then sent it to Miku. Though they intended to keep it a secret, he wanted her to know and he was sure his sister would've agreed. They both owed a lot to her; plus, she'd be able to tell right away anyways. It was still a matter of further discussion if they'd ever let Kaito and Luka know.

He put his phone back and wrapped his arm around her again. He nuzzled his nose into her hair, breathing in her scent. He peered down at her, admiring her sleeping face from an angle he hadn't had the fortune of seeing it from for years. _This is how I want to wake up every day for the rest of my life: with her as the first thing I see. _

Not much later, Rin slowly woke up from her slumber, her eyes fluttering open.

"Good morning," she whispered, her lips curling into a smile as her gaze met his.

"Good morning," he echoed back her words.

She leaned up to greet him with a kiss. She could feel him smiling into it.

"Sleep well?" Len asked.

"Yeah," she replied, her smile growing wider.

"We gotta get up soon, though," he said, scrunching up his nose at the unpleasant idea. "We're leaving camp sometime before noon, right? There's only a couple of hours left so your friends will be coming back to pack…"

"I guess so. But stay for a little longer?" she suggested, nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck.

"Sure," he replied, tightening his hold around her.

They basked in the morning tranquility, wrapped in each other's comforting presence. For a few more minutes, the world consisted of just the two of them.

And if anyone saw that the Kagamine twins had their pinkies linked together on the way home on the bus, well, no one thought much of it.


End file.
